The Rural Colon and Cervical Cancer Environmental Scan will use a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques to identify opportunities for improving cancer screening uptake, follow-up of abnormal screening results, and timeliness and quality of treatment received among rural residents in South Carolina. Study methods will include on-site observation of routine care in various rural provider settings, consultations with physicians, insurers and patients, claims based analysis, and mapping of cancer outcomes and healthcare service points.

Publications

• A Bivariate Mapping Tutorial for Cancer Control Resource Allocation Decisions and Interventions
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 01/2020
  This study demonstrates how geographic information systems software, specifically ArcGIS, can be used to develop bivariate choropleth maps to inform resource allocation and public health interventions.
• Challenges of Using Nationally Representative, Population-Based Surveys to Assess Rural Cancer Disparities
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2019
  Population-based surveys provide important information about cancer-related health behaviors across the cancer care continuum. However, due to small rural sample sizes, varying sampling methods, and/or other study design or analytical concerns, there are challenges in using population-based surveys for rural cancer control research and practice.
• Expanding Access to HPV Vaccination in South Carolina Through Community Pharmacies: A Geospatial Analysis
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 06/2020
  Human papillomavirus (HPV) rates are higher in rural areas. The uptake of HPV vaccination is lower among rural populations. Pharmacies may be ideal for improving vaccination access. Does spatial access to pharmacies among adolescents and young adults in South Carolina vary by rurality and geographic access to primary care providers?
• Financial Hardship Among Rural Cancer Survivors: An Analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2019
  This study examined contrasts in financial hardship among 1,419 rural and urban cancer survivors using the 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey supplement the Effects of Cancer and Its Treatment on Finances.
• Geographic Disparities in Residential Proximity to Colorectal and Cervical Cancer Care Providers
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2019
  Persistent rural‐urban disparities for colorectal and cervical cancers raise concerns regarding access to treatment providers. To the authors knowledge, little is known regarding rural‐urban differences in residential proximity to cancer specialists.
• Multilevel Analysis in Rural Cancer Control: A Conceptual Framework and Methodological Implications
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2019
  Our objective was two-fold: 1) to develop a multilevel conceptual framework describing how rural residence and relevant micro, macro, and supra-macro factors can be considered in evaluating disparities across the cancer control continuum and 2) to outline the unique considerations of multilevel statistical modeling in rural cancer research.
• Rural-Urban Differences in Financial Burden Among Cancer Survivors: An Analysis of a Nationally Representative Survey
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 12/2019
  Rural cancer survivors may disproportionately experience financial problems due to their cancer because of greater travel costs, higher uninsured/underinsured rates, and other factors. Our objective was to examine rural-urban differences in reported financial problems due to cancer using a nationally representative survey.