Moving mammogram-reluctant women to screening: a pilot study

Effective interventions are needed for women long overdue for screening mammography.

The purpose of this study is to pilot test an intervention for motivating overdue women to receive a mammogram.

Subjects aged 45-79 without a mammogram in > or =27 months and enrolled in study practices were identified from claims data. The intervention included a mailed, educational booklet, computer-assisted barrier-specific tailored counseling and motivational interviewing, and facilitated, short-interval mammography scheduling.

Of 127 eligible women, 45 (35.4%) agreed to counseling and data collection. Most were > or =3 years overdue. Twenty-six (57.8%) of the counseled women got a mammogram within 12 months. Thirty-one (72.1%) of 43 counseled women moved > or =1 stage closer to screening, based on a modified Precaution Adoption Process Model.

It is feasible to reach and counsel women who are long overdue for a mammogram and to advance their stage of adoption. The intervention should be formally evaluated in a prospective trial comparing it to control or to proven interventions.