Background. Findings from previous studies on an association between obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening are inconsistent and very few studies have utilized national level databases in the United States (US). Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2005 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to describe CRC screening rate by obesity status. Results. Of a 15,769 Medicare beneficiaries sample aged 50 years and older reflecting 39 million Medicare beneficiaries in the United States, 25% were classified as obese, consisting of 22.4% “obese” (30 ≤ body mass index (BMI) < 35) and 3.1% “morbidly obese” (BMI ≥ 35) beneficiaries. Almost 38% of the beneficiaries had a body mass index level equivalent to overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30). Of the study population, 65.3% reported having CRC screening (fecal occult blood testing or colonoscopy). Medicare beneficiaries classified as “obese” had greater odds of CRC screening compared to “nonobese” beneficiaries after controlling for other covariates ( = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.12–1.39). Conclusions. Findings indicate that obesity was not a barrier but rather an assisting factor to CRC screening among Medicare beneficiaries. Future studies are needed to evaluate physicians’ ordering of screening tests compared to screening claims among Medicare beneficiaries to better understand patterns of patients’ and doctors’ adherence to national CRC screening guidelines. 1. Introduction According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosed and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women in the United States (US) [1]. While these statistics are alarming, the death rate from CRC has decreased for more than 20 years due to early detection of removable polyps by colorectal screening tests [2]. According to the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), routine screening may reduce the number of people who die of colorectal cancer [3]. Additionally, treatment for CRC has vastly improved over the last several years, and as a result, there are now more than one million survivors of CRC in the US [4]. The risk of developing colorectal cancer in a lifetime is about 1 in 19 and a number of risk factors associated with CRC have been identified [2]. Established risk factors include increased age, personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal polyps, and family history of colorectal cancer [5]. In addition, certain behavioral factors such as smoking, heavy alcohol use, and obesity, have shown to be the strongest links to an
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