Retention of screened women in the Manitoba Breast Screening Program

The retention rate or the percentage of women who return to screening within 30 months of a previous screening is an important measure of screening success and the acceptability of the screening program to women. The objective of this study was to investigate variables associated with the retention of women 50 to 68 years of age who were screened by the Manitoba Breast Screening Program (MBSP) during 2002 and 2003.

All women screened by the MBSP in 2002 and 2003 who were eligible for rescreening in 2 years were included in the study. Data were extracted from the MBSP database which contains demographic, screening, diagnostic follow-up, and diagnosis information for all women screened by the program. Contingency tables, chi2 tests, and logistic regression were used to investigate variables that were associated with retention.

Retention was related to screen type (first or return), screen result (normal or abnormal), family history of breast cancer (risk or no risk), education (less than grade 9 or some high school or more), and ethnicity (Asian, First Nations, other). Retention was not related to residence (rural or urban).

Overall screening retention at the MBSP was 80% which meets national standards. However, additional efforts may be required to improve the retention rate of Asian and First Nations women as well as women who had an abnormal screening result or less than a grade 9 level of education.