The Association Between Health Literacy and Colorectal Cancer Screening: Findings Using a Three-Question Health Literacy Measure.

Purpose: Health literacy (HL) can impact health behaviors including colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Prior findings using extensive measures of HL suggested that low HL is associated with lower CRC screening rates. We hypothesized that low HL, when measured using a clinically applicable three-question measure, would also be associated with low CRC screening rates.

Methods: Data collected from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) was utilized from 17 states that included a three-question HL measure. Participants ages 50-75 were included. The HL scores were categorized as adequate, marginal, or limited HL. The primary outcome was United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation-concordant CRC screening. The relationship between HL and CRC screening was examined using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: Among 38,044 participants who met inclusion criteria, 47.2% (n = 17,950), 49.9% (n = 18,989), and 2.9% (n = 1105) had adequate, marginal, and limited HL, respectively. Lower HL levels were associated with lower adherence to USPSTF CRC screening recommendations: 73.3% for adequate, 68.0% for marginal, and 48.9% for limited HL (p < 0.01). Respondents with limited HL were 45% less likely to undergo CRC screening (OR = 0.55; 95%CI: 0.48-0.63). A significant interaction (p < 0.01) between health literacy and sex was identified. CRC screening difference among HL levels was more pronounced for male (OR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.40-0.79) than female respondents (OR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.52-0.76).

Conclusion: Limited health literacy is associated with significantly lower rates of appropriate CRC screening, particularly for males. This three-question HL measure provides a clinically applicable tool to identify people at risk for lack of CRC screening.