A pilot study of attendance for breast cancer screening

Previous research has identified some characteristics related to attendance for breast cancer screening, but few research findings carry practical implications for the optimum organisation of the service. The present study describes the reactions of women attending one of the first breast screening units to be established in the U.K. following government directives. Responses to the invitation to be screened and reasons for attendance suggest ways in which the idea of screening can be conveyed in health education. Practical problems were few, but some negative features of the design of the screening unit and of the experience of being screened were identified. Recommendations for the organisation of breast cancer screening are presented using the typology of factors influencing health behaviour developed by Green et al.