Mammography screening among Chinese‐American women

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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast carcinoma is the most common major malignancy among several Asian‐American populations. This study surveyed mammography screening knowledge and practices among Chinese‐American women.METHODS: In 1999, the authors conducted a cross‐sectional, community‐based survey in Seattle, Washington. Bilingual and bicultural interviewers administered surveys in Mandarin, Cantonese, or English at participants' homes.RESULTS: The survey cooperation rate (responses among reachable and eligible households) was 72% with 350 eligible women (age ≥ 40 years with no prior history of breast carcinoma or double mastectomy). Seventy‐four percent of women reported prior mammography screening, and 61% of women reported screening in the last 2 years. In multivariate analysis, a strong association was found between mammography screening and recommendations by physicians and nurses (prior screening: odds ratio [OR], 16.0; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 7.8–35.0; recent screening: OR, 7.0; 95% CI, 3.8–13.6). This finding applied to both recent immigrants (< 15 years in the U.S.) and earlier immigrants (≥ 15 years in the U.S.). Thirty‐two percent of women reported that the best way to detect breast carcinoma was a modality other than mammogram.CONCLUSIONS: The authors recommend a multifaceted approach to increase mammography screening by Chinese‐American women: recommendations from the provider plus targeted education to address the effectiveness of screening mammography compared with breast self examination and clinical breast examination. Cancer 2003;97:1293–302. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11169