Community Input – Preventive Practices

estimates if adults, ages 50 or older, had regular screening tests for colon cancer, as many as 60% of the deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented. Recommended screening procedures include one of the following: Fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) annually, flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years; double-contrast barium enema every 5 years, or colonoscopy every 10 years. In Orange County, 69.1% of adults, ages 50 to 75, were compliant with the recommended screening practices for colorectal cancer. This rate was lower than Healthy People 2030 target of 74.4%.

Colon Cancer Screening, Adults, Ages 50-75

Orange County

Colorectal cancer screening

Source: CDC PLACES Data Portal, County Data 2020 Release, estimates for 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/places/ 69.1%

Community Input – Preventive Practices

Stakeholder interviews identified the following issues, challenges and barriers related to preventive practices. Following are their comments edited for clarity: ● There has been a decline in preventive practices due to COVID-19. Time and energy devoted to COVID-19 mitigation and ensuring a safe environment have had the secondary effect of creating some access barriers, complicating the process of preventive practices. ● People living with incomes under the federal poverty level or who face language barriers are having a harder time accessing primary care and in turn taking advantage of well child visits and vaccines. Vaccine clinics are no longer offered in schools at Saddleback Unified School District, so families must go to their pediatrician. ● For people with multiple jobs to make ends meet, it is difficult to visit doctors’ offices or clinics during operating hours for preventive screenings, which results in relying on emergency rooms or urgent care clinics. ● Older adults typically have few avenues for becoming aware that preventive programs exist, but senior centers play an important role in outreach to seniors living independently and preventive programs embedded within senior communities to offer vaccines on-site have been more effective than those requiring seniors to travel to an outside venue. ● Falls are a major issue, given that they are a leading cause of mortality among older adults in Orange County. ● Health conditions occurring in older adults are sometimes a delayed response to issues or behaviors that could be addressed when people are younger and healthier.

Reaching young adults with health campaigns is a strategy for preventing major illness later in life.

SADDLEBACK MEDICAL CENTER

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