"I Just Want People to See Me as a Decent Human Being": Perceptions of Screening Mammography in an Underserved Group

This qualitative study sought to understand factors related to low rates of screening mammography among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals and how these rates might be improved.

Individuals who self-reported as TGD were recruited from multiple sites and national patient advocates. Consenting participants completed an individual interview using a semistructured guide informed by the Health Belief Model (HBM). Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

A total of 44 individuals completed the interview (median age, 44.9 years; range, 19-77 years); 11% were a racial/ethnic minority; and 52%, 20%, and 25%, respectively, self-identified as a transgender woman, transgender man, or nonbinary. Three themes emerged around constructs in the HBM. First, individuals voiced a hope to be treated equally ("I just want to go to work, pay my taxes, love my family, and go along my day and be a good human") and described how such equitable treatment during screening guarded against gender dysphoria and favored gender affirmation ("it is affirming…being treated as any other woman"). Second, barriers and facilitators related to mammography were identified, including the need to address cost/low cost ("screenings are a luxury"); prior negative/positive experiences ("they would call my name and look at me but dismiss me"); absence/presence of education ("none of the doctors…ever told me what that process looks like"); and perceived low/high cancer risk ("my mom died pretty young from breast cancer"). Finally, practical recommendations were offered, including individual changing/waiting rooms, hiring gender-diverse staff, and engaging clinicians who provide whole-person, trauma-informed care.

Mammographic screening among TGD individuals could be improved by proactively creating safe, affirming spaces; working to lower costs; providing educational materials tailored to the TGD community about cancer risk and the practical aspects of screening; and hiring gender-diverse staff. These recommendations from TGD participants merit implementation as well as further study.