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Mammography use among women attending an inner-city clinic
V M Taylor1, B Thompson, D E Montano
1Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98104, USA.
Background:
Low-income, minority, and inner city women have breast cancer screening rates that are below those of the general population.
Methods:
The authors surveyed women who received primary care at Seattle's county hospital about their mammography behaviors in early 1995. Data were analyzed within the context of the PRECEDE framework.
Results:
Only half (48%) of the women were obtaining regular screening. Breast cancer and mammography beliefs differed by racial group. The following factors differentiated between inner-city women who were and were not regular users: mammography beliefs concerning early detection of disease, pressure from the machine causing breast cancer, and cost (these were less important among white women than members of other racial groups); previous physician discussions, concerns about appointment scheduling, and transportation problems; and social support from physicians, family, and friends.
Conclusion:
Interventions to encourage regular screening among inner-city women should address predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors.