Breast cancer screening among Asian immigrant women in Canada

The objective of this study was to examine the pattern of breast cancer screening among Asian immigrant women aged 50-69 years and compare it with corresponding non-immigrant women in Canada.

Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 2.1 (2003) were utilized. Self-reported screening histories were used as outcome variables: socioeconomic status and medical histories were used as predictive variables. Analyses were weighted to represent the target population. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to compare the screening pattern among Asian immigrant women and corresponding non-immigrant Canadians.

In total, 508 Asian immigrant women were included in this study. The results suggest that 71% and 60% of Asian immigrant women reported ever having had and recent mammogram use, respectively, while the corresponding figures for non-immigrant women were 89% and 72%. The observed differences were statistically significant and could not be explained by confounding factors. The ability to speak one of the two official languages is an important barrier to mammography screening among Asian immigrant women.

The findings show lower rates of mammography screening among Asian immigrant women in Canada. If breast screening is to remain a health policy objective in Canada, targeted efforts to increase the recruitment of Asian immigrant women need to be developed or strengthened.