Table 2.
Cumulative Incidence of Complete Colon Evaluation (Colonoscopy or Barium enema plus Sigmoidoscopy) within 1 Year after a Positive Screening Fecal Occult Blood Test Result Among Persons 70 Years or Older, by Patient Characteristic (N=212).
| Complete Colon Evaluation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Cumulative Incidence % | HR* | 95% CI |
| Age, years | |||
| 70–74 | 45.3 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| 75–79 | 40.9 | 0.9 | 0.6–1.4 |
| ≥ 80 | 40.9 | 0.9 | 0.5–1.5 |
| Gender | |||
| Men | 42.7 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| Women | 0 | -- | -- |
| Race/Ethnicity | |||
| White | 38.9 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| Black | 66.7 | 1.5 | 0.9–2.5 |
| Other | 0 | -- | -- |
| Charlson Score | |||
| 0 (no comorbidity) | 42.4 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| 1–3 (average comorbidity) | 41.2 | 0.9 | 0.6–1.4 |
| ≥ 4 (severe comorbidity) | 48.1 | 1.0 | 0.5–1.9 |
| Number of VA Outpatient Visits** | |||
| 0–3 | 28.9 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| 4+ | 58.2 | 2.5 | 1.6–3.9 |
| Home-bound† | |||
| No | 42.7 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| Yes | 33.3 | 0.6 | 0.2–2.5 |
| Married | |||
| No | 43.8 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| Yes | 41.4 | 1.0 | 0.6–1.5 |
| Lived in ZCTA in which ≥ 25% of Adults Had a College Education‡ | |||
| No | 40.9 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| Yes | 48.2 | 1.3 | 0.9–2.1 |
| Median Income of ZCTA‡ | |||
| Highest tertile (≥$29,119) | 47.1 | 1.1 | 0.7–1.9 |
| Middle tertile | 38.7 | 0.9 | 0.5–1.4 |
| Lowest tertile (≤$21,136) | 44.3 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| VA Site | |||
| A | 47.4 | 1.7 | 1.0–2.7 |
| B | 40.3 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| C | 57.1 | 1.6 | 0.8–3.0 |
| D | 20.0 | 0.5 | 0.2–1.7 |
| Distance to nearest VA clinic§ | |||
| <10 miles | 42.4 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| 10–49 miles | 44.4 | 1.0 | 0.5–1.8 |
| ≥50 miles | 40.4 | 1.0 | 0.5–1.8 |
| Number of Positive FOBT Cards | |||
| 1 | 33.9 | 1.0 (ref) | |
| 2 | 49.1 | 1.6 | 1.0–2.7 |
| 3 | 54.0 | 1.8 | 1.1–3.0 |
Hazards ratios were calculated using Cox Regression.
Number of visits was defined by the number of visits to VA primary care, gastroenterology, or general surgery clinics (clinic codes 301, 303, 305, 306, 307, 309, 312, 321–323, and 401) during the 1 year following FOBT.7
Enrolled in VA Home Based Primary Care on or before the date of their screening FOBT.
ZCTA = Zip Code Tabulation Area; Census data missing for 2% of subjects.
Distance to the nearest VA clinic was measured as a straight-line distance between the location of the VA clinic and the center of the zip code of the patient’s residence.