Social determinants of cardiovascular and cancer screening: an investigation using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Use of screening for health conditions that can be diagnosed early during the disease course is fundamental to reducing the health burden in society. Many health conditions, particularly cardiovascular and cancer-related illness, tend to occur later in life. Timely screening can prevent early mortality and reduce the impact on quality of life. Yet, the uptake rate of these screening strategies is often low and is directly associated with social determinants of health. Evidence on the social determinants of screening and preventive health uptake in Canada, especially in the aging population, is relatively sparse. To fill this gap, we will use the CLSA dataset and quantify the uptake rate of cardiovascular and cancer screening rates and investigate their determinants. Findings from this study will be highly relevant to policy-making in the Canadian context.