S652 Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening in Active and Retired Workers in the United States of America: An Analysis of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Comorbidities, and Physical Activity Impact

Introduction: During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, various medical and physical activities were disrupted because of the enacted lockdown. In this study, we examined the impact of the pandemic, comorbidities, and physical activities on the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rate in the United States (U.S.) among active and retired U.S. workers. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using data from the National Cancer Institute National Trends Survey (HINTS 5), cycle 4. We used the Chi-square test to evaluate the association between CRC screening, comorbidities, and physical activity in the general population, active, and retired workers. Frequency, percentage, and standard errors were calculated for all categorical variables. Median, interquartile range, and standard errors are presented for numeric variables. Weighted values, according to HINTS 5 Cycle 4, were reported. All analyses were performed in R (R Core Team, 2022) and assumed a 2-sided, 5% level of significance. P-values were adjusted for multiple hypothesis testing using a Bonferroni correction. Results: In the dataset, there were 147,216,623 employed households, compared to 51,002,444 that were retired. In the general population, the odds of being screened for CRC were lower during the pandemic (P < 0.05), and the odds of screening for CRC were higher in individuals with diabetes and a heart condition (P < 0.05). The odds of being screened for CRC did not differ in those with a lung disease or suffering from depression (P > 0.05). There was no association between moderate exercise and being screened for CRC. In the subpopulation of active and retired workers, there was no longer an association between the pandemic and CRC screening (P > 0.05), and no association between moderate exercise and being screened for CRC (P > 0.05). The Odds of being screened for CRC were not affected by active and retired workers with lung disease or depression (P > 0.05). The odds of CRC screening in active and retired workers were higher in individuals with diabetes or a heart condition (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The odds of being screened in the general population were lower during the pandemic, a reason was that in-person diagnostic methods were stopped, postponed, or greatly reduced during the pandemic. Non-invasive screening methods should be encouraged and easily accessible in conjunction with telehealth. Screening kits can be mailed to the places of residence of individuals when there is a lockdown.