Comparing Different Interventions' Effects on Latinas' Screening Mammography Attainment and Participant-Driven...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Behavior
• Social Network Analysis

Background:

• Community-based interventions for Latinas' breast cancer (BC) screening have yielded inconsistent results.
• Variations in intervention approaches and study quality, including the lack of spillover effect measurement, contribute to these inconsistencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the relative efficacy of two conceptual approaches—educate+logistic assistance (LA) and empower+LA—for improving BC screening utilization among Latinas.
• To evaluate the impact of interventions on both individual screening behavior and social network engagement.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study utilized an area-level design with 145 Latinas nonadherent to U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF) BC screening guidelines.
• Both study arms featured identical intervention formats (three group sessions, five monthly LA calls, referral services), differing only in content: educate+LA focused on individual behavior, while empower+LA included social networks.

Main Results:

• After adjusting for covariates, participants in the empower+LA arm were significantly more likely to obtain mammograms compared to the educate+LA arm.
• The empower+LA group also showed increased engagement in discussing BC, initiating conversations in public, and specifically discussing mammography.

Conclusions:

• The empower+LA intervention, which incorporates social networks, demonstrates greater effectiveness in promoting breast cancer screening among Latinas.
• Evaluating behavioral interventions should consider both individual behavioral outcomes and network-level spillover effects for a comprehensive understanding of efficacy.