Expenditures on Screening Promotion Activities in CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program, 2009–2014

Expenditures on Screening Promotion Activities in CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program, 2009–2014

ORIGINAL RESEARCH — Volume 16 — June 6, 2019

Florence K. L. Tangka, PhD1; Sujha Subramanian, PhD2; Sonja Hoover, MPP2; Maggie Cole-Beebe, PhD2; Amy DeGroff, PhD1; Djenaba Joseph, MD, MPH1; Sajal Chattopadhyay, PhD1 (View author affiliations)

Suggested citation for this article: Tangka FK, Subramanian S, Hoover S, Cole-Beebe M, DeGroff A, Joseph D, et al. Expenditures on Screening Promotion Activities in CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program, 2009–2014. Prev Chronic Dis 2019;16:180337. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180337external icon.

PEER REVIEWED

On This Page

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Tables

Summary

What is already known on this topic?

Colorectal Cancer Control Program grantees spent most of their funding on interventions recommended by the Community Guide. However, a third of grantees’ funding was spent on interventions not recommended by the Community Guide.

What is added by this report?

Our results update previous estimates and provide data on the resources expended and the factors associated with using evidence-based interventions recommended by the Community Guide.

What are the implications for public health practice?

These findings will support future colorectal cancer program planning to ensure that resources are used to implement evidence-based interventions. Economic evaluations inform future scale-up and improve the efficiency of colorectal cancer screening programs to achieve the Healthy People 2020 objective.

Abstract

Introduction

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) in 2009 to reduce disparities in colorectal cancer screening and increase screening and follow-up as recommended. We estimate the cost for evidence-based intervention and non–evidence-based intervention screening promotion activities and examine expenditures on screening promotion activities. We also identify factors associated with the costs of these activities.

Methods

By using cost and resource use data collected from 25 state grantees over multiple years (July 2009 to June 2014), we analyzed the total cost for each screening promotion activity. Multivariate analysis was used to assess the factors associated with screening promotion costs reported by grantees.

Results

The promotion activities with the largest allocation of funding across the years and grantees were mass media, patient navigation, outreach and education, and small media. Across all years of the program and across grantees, the amount spent on specific promotion activities varied widely. The factor significantly associated with promotion costs was region in which the grantee was located.

Conclusion

CDC’s CRCCP grantees spent the largest amount of the screening promotion funds on mass media, which is not recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force. Given the large variation across grantees in the use of and expenditures on screening promotion interventions, a systematic assessment of the yield from investment in specific promotion activities could better guide optimal resource allocation.