A Health Disparities Visualization Tool for Informing Cancer Prevention and Control Efforts

The burden of colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer cases and deaths is disproportionately greater among individuals living in impoverished areas. Early detection of these cancers through screenings and timely treatment among individuals diagnosed with precancers or cancers can reduce the excess cancer burden in these population subgroups. Actionable data to guide outreach efforts and implement programs and policies are urgently needed to reduce colorectal, cervical, and breast cancers among low-income communities. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) recently emphasized the promise of big data in improving knowledge and providing more accurate data for informing practice and policies. This project draws from the NCI’s and ACS’s vision of the strategic use of big data and integrates it within an interactive data visualization framework. We will utilize South Carolina’s Integrated Database System (covering health information of over 90% of low-income individuals) to determine colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer incidence and mortality rates among low-income individuals and develop a user-centered cancer data visualization tool through stakeholder engagement. Two end products (a web-based interactive tool and a toolkit) will be disseminated to community organizations and stakeholders working with low-income populations.