Community Outreach and Engagement
Understanding our catchment area.
Goal One
Assess the cancer burden and define the catchment area in Vermont and northern New York, including for vulnerable groups and subpopulations, and collaborate with community stakeholders to identify key cancer issues in the area.
Goal Two
Engage in evidence-based education and outreach efforts in collaboration with community stakeholders to reduce the cancer burden within the catchment area.
Goal Three
Promote research across the UVM Cancer Center that addresses key cancer issues within the catchment area, including encouragement and facilitation of bi-directional collaboration with community stakeholders.
Defining the cancer burden
Scott Langevin, PhD joined the UVM Cancer Center as the associate director for community outreach and engagement. Dr. Langevin, a cancer epidemiologist and associate professor at the Larner College of Medicine, leverages data and community input to better understand the cancer burden in the catchment area.
The catchment area includes Vermont and six counties in New York.
Cancer Risk Factors
Sources: Age and poverty - 2020 US Census Data, Smoking and obesity - US CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2021
Smoking
It is estimated that about 20% of all cancers and 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States are attributable to smoking. The rate of people who currently smoke is higher in our region (17.6%) compared to the United States (14.4%).
Poverty
People living in poverty are more likely to die from cancer. While our region has a lower poverty rate (9.7%) compared to the United States (11.6%), rates vary by county.
Age
Although cancer can be diagnosed at any age, cancer risk increases substantially in older adults, especially those over 60 years old. Our region has an older median population (43.1 years) compared to the United States, which has a median age of 38.8 years.
Obesity
Compared to those of normal weight, obese and overweight individuals are at increased risk for cancer. Although our region has a lower obesity rate (29.8%) than the United States (33.0%), rates vary by county.
Cancer Screening Rates
Source: US CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2020
Lung Screening
The percent of eligible adults with a history of smoking who met the recommended guidelines for lung cancer screening was only 26% in Vermont; rates were not available for the northern New York counties.
Colorectal Screening
The percent of eligible adults who met the recommended colorectal cancer screening guidelines was lower for all counties in our region compared to the US rate of 72.8%.
Cervical Screening
The percent of eligible women who met the recommended cervical cancer screening guidelines was higher for all counties in our region compared to the US rate of 78.0%.
Breast Screening
The percent of eligible women who received the recommended mammogram for breast cancer screening fell below the US rate of 78.2% for 19 of the 20 counties in our region.
Cancer Incidence and Mortality
Age-adjusted rates per 100,000 people
Data Source: SEER and NPCR Cancer Registries
Lung Screening Initiative
Lung cancer screens are on pace to increase by over 27% in 2023 in the UVM Cancer Center’s lung screening program over the previous year, after a multi-faceted public education campaign publicizing new guidelines for screening eligibility.
Beth Zigmund (pictured) is the director of lung cancer screening and co-led the Vermont state cancer coalition task force that implemented a public education campaign.