Fifty Percent of Americans Age 50 and Older Have Never Had a Colonoscopy

Only half of all Americans age 50 and over have had a colonoscopy, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all people age 50 and over be screened for colon cancer—the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

An AHRQ survey reports the following about screening colonoscopy among Americans ages 50 and older:

Nearly 67 percent of Hispanics age 50 and older reported that they have never had a screening colonoscopy. This compares to 47.1 percent of whites and 55.8 percent of blacks.

More than three-fourths (77 percent) of uninsured adults between the ages of 50 and 64 reported that they have never had a screening colonoscopy compared to people with private insurance (54.1 percent) or people covered by Medicaid and other public coverage (61 percent).

Slightly more than half of people age 65 and older who had Medicare plus some other public insurance reported never having had a screening colonoscopy. Only 45 percent of people in the same age group who only had Medicare coverage and 34.6 percent of people who had Medicare plus some private insurance reported never having had a screening colonoscopy.

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

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