Healthy People 2010 Goal Used in Modeling

3-12b. Increase the proportion of adults who have received a sigmoidoscopy at some point in their lives.

• Target: 50 percent.
• Baseline: 37 percent of adults aged 50 years and older reported having ever received a
  sigmoidoscopy in 1998 (age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population).
• Target setting method: Better than the best.
• Data source: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC, NCHS.
• Reference: Healthy People 2010 Operational Definition

We expanded this objective to include adults who have received either a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. At the time this target was originally set, sigmoidoscopy was the preferred test method. Since then, studies have shown additional benefit from colonoscopy, and it has become more widely used. It is, however, a more costly and invasive procedure and carries a slightly increased risk, so current recommendations are for having either of the tests.