Immigrant women's cancer screening behaviors

Investigate the relationship between the dependent variable health outcome (perceived health status) and the independent variables population characteristics, (predisposing, which includes age, acculturation, months in the United States; enabling, which includes availability of medical insurance) and health behavior (personal health practices, which includes engaging in cancer screening of mammography, Pap smear, and breast self-exam) among immigrant women from the former Soviet Union.

Descriptive correlational design was used with Andersen's Behavioral Model as the conceptual framework.

Convenience sample of 99 women, 18 years of age and older, was obtained from a community center.

Demographic Information for Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union Survey (DIFSU) and Language, Identity, and Behavior Acculturation Survey (LIB) were used to collect data.

Younger women were more likely to have a Pap smear and consider their health status as good or excellent; those with better English language skills were more likely to conduct breast self-exam but considered their health status as poor or fair; having insurance was positively correlated with having a Pap smear; the longer women were in the United States, the more likely they were to receive a mammogram. The model indicated that age and language acculturation significantly predicted health status.

Given the incidence of breast cancer in the United States, the results highlight women in need of interventions to help them understand the value of cancer screening behaviors.