Nativity status and mammography use: results from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey

Disparities exist in mammography use based on nativity status. Using the 2005 National Health Interview Survey, we examined the link between nativity status and mammography use in the past 2 years among women (≥40 years) and investigated whether acculturation was associated with mammography use among foreign-born women using multivariate analyses. Foreign-born women were less likely (OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.65, 0.87) to report mammography use compared to US born women. After adjusting for selected covariates, results were no longer statistically significant. Foreign-born women (≥65 years) who were not US citizens (i.e. less acculturated) were less likely (OR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.06, 0.46) to report mammography use compared to naturalized citizens. Based on our findings, mammography use did not differ between US and foreign-born women. Therefore, the disparities in incidence and mortality rates observed between these groups may be due to other factors.