Behavioral risk factors among Black and White women newly diagnosed with breast cancer

To determine the rates of three behavioral risk factors (depression symptoms, smoking, and drinking) among women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and to examine if the rates under investigation differed between Black and White women.

Subjects were 147 women (47% Black, 53% White) newly diagnosed with breast cancer and participating in an epidemiologic interview study conducted at two metropolitan area cancer centers in the same city. The epidemiologic interview included women's tobacco, alcohol, and drug use history, medical and family history, and depression symptoms.

Among all women in the sample, 33% reported clinically significant depression symptoms, 10% currently smoked cigarettes, and 57% currently drank alcohol. Seventy percent of women reported experiencing one or more behavioral risk factors, and White women were more likely than Black women to do so. After controlling for other demographic variables, White women were 50% more likely to report clinical symptoms of depression (odds ratio=1.55, 95% confidence interval=1.03, 2.30) and over two times more likely to report being current drinkers (odds ratio=2.19, 95% confidence interval=1.45, 3.30) than were Black women (p<0.05).

The results suggest that certain behaviors of Black women may be associated with lower levels of self-reported distress. These findings also suggest the need for further research to examine behavioral comorbidity among women with breast cancer, and the roles that race, ethnicity, and culture may play in their expression.