Conclusions
Our study is one of a small number to analyze differences in beliefs and other health-related behaviors among groups of women who are on schedule or off schedule for a mamogram and those who never had mammograms. With a few exceptions, the results suggest a trend, as the off-schedule group almost consistently falls between the on-schedule and never-had groups. For instance, they were more likely than those never screened but less likely than on-schedule women to report the kind of provider support (discussions and recommendations) that facilitates screening and to understand the rationale and recommendations for regular screening. Off-schedule women also showed a need to change other health-related behaviors. Off-schedule women were also likely to perceive their breast cancer risk as lower, be less likely to be up to date with other cancer screening tests, and to have ever used HRT.
Because there are few studies comparing women who are on versus off schedule for their 2 most recent mammograms, we were not sure how, for instance, the off-schedule and the never-had group would compare. Our findings suggest that women who are off schedule are in need of mammography-promoting interventions, including recommendations from and discussion with their health care providers. Because they are more positive and knowledgeable about mammography than never screened women, they may benefit from brief interventions from health care providers that highlight the importance of regular screening.
Significant progress has been made in the proportion of women in the United States who have been screened. Further increases will be dependent not only on motivating women who have never been screened but also in enhancing levels of regular screening. Physicians have a central role to play in facilitating regular screening.
Acknowledgments
Our study was funded by the National Cancer Institute grant #5U19-CA-72099-03. We express our sincere appreciation to Don Bradley, MD, at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina for his leadership and the many women who are participating in this project. We thank Elizabeth Powell for the preparation of the manuscript. Our manuscript represents the perspective of the authors and not the National Cancer Institute.
Related resources
- National Cancer Institute Cancer information, news on research, funding and treatment recommendations. www.nci.nih.gov
- American Cancer Society News on cancer research. Search function identifies local resources. News on breast and other cancers. Information on ACS research and funding programs. Yearly statistics on incidence of cancer dating back to 1995. www.cancer.org