ORIGINAL PAPER Colorectal cancer screening among Latinos from U.S. cities along the Texas–Mexico border Maria E. Fernandez Æ Rosario Wippold Æ Isabel Torres Æ Theresa Byrd Æ Diamond Freeberg Æ Yadvindera Bains Æ Jessica Guajardo Æ Steven S. Coughlin Æ Sally W. Vernon Received: 8 May 2007 / Accepted: 17 October 2007 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007 Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are comparatively low for U.S. Hispanics. To learn more about the factors influencing CRC screening among Hispanics living along the U.S.–Mexico border, 12 focus groups were conducted with Hispanic men and women aged 50 years and older in three Texas counties; Cameron County (Brownsville), Webb County (Laredo), and El Paso County, (El Paso). The focus group guide contained questions about health care behavior, knowledge about CRC, experiences with cancer, and factors that influence CRC screening. A total of 92 individuals participated with the majority aged 50–69 (75%). Twenty percent were born in the United States and 51% had lived in the United States for more than 20 years. Participants had low levels of education, income, and insurance coverage. The analysis revealed several overarching and contextual themes relat- ing to knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions about cancer and CRC screening. A prevalent theme that The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. M. E. Fernandez (&) Á R. Wippold Á S. W. Vernon Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, UCT-7000 Fannin, suite 2558, Houston, TX 77030, USA e-mail: Maria.E.Fernandez@uth.tmc.edu R. Wippold e-mail: Rosario.Wippold@uth.tmc.edu S. W. Vernon e-mail: Sally.W.Vernon@uth.tmc.edu I. Torres Department of Health Disparities Research – Center for Research on Minority Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2450 Holcombe, TMCI, 3300 Unit 639, Houston, TX 77030, USA e-mail: Istorres@mdanserson.org T. Byrd School of Public Health El Paso Regional Campus, 1100 North Stanton, suite 110, El Paso, TX 79902, USA e-mail: Theresa.L.Byrd@uth.tmc.edu D. Freeberg The University of Texas at Brownsville and Southmost Texas College, 80 Fort Brown, South 265, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA e-mail: diamond.freeberg@utb.edu Y. Bains Cancer Physicians Associates, PA, 1602 Rock Prairie Road, suite 130A, College Station, TX 77845, USA e-mail: drbains@aol.com J. Guajardo Doctors Regional Cancer Treatment Center, 10700 Mc Pherson Road, Laredo, TX 78045, USA e-mail: jessica.guajardo@uhsinc.com S. S. Coughlin Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Center for Disease Prevention and Control, 4776 Bufford Hwy, NE (K-55), Atlanta, GA 30341, USA e-mail: s1c9@cdc.gov 123 Cancer Causes Control DOI 10.1007/s10552-007-9085-6