Abstract 864: Correlates of mammography screening practice among immigrant women in Southern California

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States. Immigrant underrepresented women are facing many challenges and barriers to knowledge, access to health care and preventive services. Few studies have examined factors associated with mammography screening among immigrant women in Southern California. Purpose: We examined factors associated with mammography screening among immigrant women in Southern California. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 517 immigrant women aged 40 years and older. The instrument included constructs from the Health Belief Model. The survey was conducted using a self administered questionnaire in the women's preferred language. The outcome variables were the percentage of women ages 40 and older who ever received a mammogram and the percentage of women who received a mammogram within the past year. Independent variables were demographics, frequency of visits to health care provider, and scores of the following variables: knowledge of BC symptoms and BC risk factors, perceived benefits, perceived health motivation and perceived barriers to obtaining a mammogram. We analyzed data using SPSS 15. Results: of the 517 women, 50% were Iranian, 15% were Arab, and 21% were Asian/South Asian. Twenty eight percent had family history of BC, 63% had a friend diagnosed with BC, and 47% had yearly visit to the health care provider. Ever had a mammogram was reported by 88% of the women and 73% reported they had mammogram within the last 12 months. Participants had low knowledge of BC symptoms (mean score=7, Standard Deviation [SD]=3.5, range=1-13) and low knowledge of BC risk factors (mean score=8, SD=3.6, range=1-21). Women showed high health motivation (mean score=4.4, SD=0.6, range=1-5) and low barriers (mean score=2.4, SD=0.6, range=1-5). Predictors of ever had a mammogram were age, having a friend who was diagnosed with BC, and having a high score of health motivation. Factors associated with having a mammogram within the past year were having frequent visits to the health care provider, having a higher score in knowledge of BC symptoms, and having a lower score of perceived barriers to obtaining a mammogram. Conclusions: The findings indicated that health care provider may influence the BC screening among immigrant women. There is a need for a culturally sensitive educational intervention to enhance the knowledge and awareness related to BC. This intervention can be provided through the health care provider and through the social support and family groups. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 864.