ABSTRACT
Mammography utilization remains below the level needed to achieve the National Cancer Institute's year-2000 goals for reducing breast cancer mortality by 50%. Previous research has identified both patient and physician barriers. The authors interviewed 600 randomly selected women who were offered a free mammographic examination. Interviews were conducted by professional interviewers using a brief, structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed with chi 2 Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum statistics and discriminant analysis. Noncompliant subjects reported more barriers than compliant subjects. The former were more likely to believe that mammography is unnecessary in the absence of symptoms and that it is inconvenient. In both the bivariate and multivariate analyses, the woman's belief that her doctor believes in regular mammography was an important predictor of compliance.
Subject(s)
Mammography , Mass Screening , Patient Compliance , Adult , Aged , Attitude , Breast Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Breast Neoplasms/prevention & control , Breast Neoplasms/psychology , Female , Health Behavior , Humans , Mammography/psychology , Mammography/statistics & numerical data , Middle Aged , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Impressive reductions in breast cancer mortality have been demonstrated through regular screening programs using mammograms and clinical breast examinations. Nevertheless, only a small proportion of American women obtain annual mammograms. The US HEALTHCHECK breast cancer screening program offered free breast cancer screening to age-eligible members of a Health Maintenance Organization. Subscribers were mailed packets of materials and asked to return a Breast Risk Assessment Form to determine their eligibility to receive a free mammogram. This study was conducted to assess why women did or did not return a Breast Risk Assessment Form. Brief telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of compliers and noncompliers (n = 502). Women who complied by returning the Risk Assessment Form said more frequently that they were unlikely to get breast cancer, were older, and more likely to have read the materials and to have rated them positively than women who did not return the Risk Assessment Form.
