Acculturation and breast self-examination among immigrant Latina women in the USA.

This article is an extension of previous work, which identified acculturation as an important variable in predicting breast self-examination (BSE) in this sample of women. Here, acculturation is further examined as an intervening factor in predicting BSE. This paper presents the association between level of acculturation to mainstream culture in the USA and the practice of BSE among a population of low-income immigrant Mexican and Puerto Rican women (n = 111) in an urban area of the Midwest in the USA. The majority of women (84.7%) scored a low level of acculturation and 85% did not practice correct BSE. The crude odds ratio indicated that Latina women having a high level of acculturation (15.3%) were twice as likely to practice correct BSE than women with low acculturation. We would suggest that a clearer understanding of the variables that define the performance of BSE will assist in enabling nurses globally to incorporate assessments in their practice that will lead to more successful interventions.

Breast care among Latino immigrant women in the U.S.

Although the U.S. is recognized as a developed country, knowledge of how to perform a breast self-examination (BSE) and the availability and accessibility screening mammography are not evenly distributed across ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups. Some U.S. organizations have decreased their emphases on BSE and are strongly promoting technological advances such as mammography. Disparities in obtaining breast health care are found worldwide. In this article we present the findings of a study that was conducted in a large urban area in the Midwest of the United States, to identify factors associated with breast care in Latino immigrant women (n = 111). Limited knowledge about breast care, unemployment, and short period of residence in the U.S. were all found to be related to inadequate breast care in this group of women. These findings have global implications for health care practitioners in directing attention toward discovering factors that promote and inhibit early breast cancer detection.

Cervical cancer screening practices among Latino women in Chicago.

Previous studies have determined that Latino women, especially Mexican women, have the lowest rates of cancer-screening practices of any racial and ethnic group in the United States (L. S. Caplan, B. L. Wells, & S. Haynes, 1992; L. C. Harlan, A. B. Bernstein, & L. G. Kessler, 1991). The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify factors associated with irregular Papanicolaou (Pap) screening among Latino women. The convenience sample consisted of 111 Mexican and Puerto Rican women ages 40 and older, recruited through two inner-city clinics, located in two major Latino communities in Chicago. The women were interviewed face-to-face by trained bilingual interviewers, using a structured questionnaire. Mexican ethnicity and older age were found to be associated with irregular cervical cancer-screening practices. These results suggest that interventions need to be developed for educating Latino women about the purpose and importance of Pap test-screening practices. Further research is needed to examine other barriers that impede these women from using cervical cancer-screening services.