Book Reviews

Abstract

Screening mammography is particularly effective in detecting breast cancer in elderly women. Yet, although half of all breast cancers are diagnosed in older women, statistics show that women aged 65 and over tend to underutilize screening mammography. Prior research has used the constructs of the Health Belief Model to explore attitudes and beliefs relative to breast cancer screening. Prior studies have also identified health beliefs and concerns relative to screening mammography and race/ethnicity as some of the patient-related predictors of screening mammography utilization among younger women. This study uses the theoretical framework of the Health Belief Model to explore the effects of these variables on utilization in a multiracial, multiethnic, random sample of 1011 women, aged 65 and over. Race/ethnicity, belief that mammograms detect cancer, ease the mind, and provide accurate results; concern over the radiation, pain, and cost associated with receiving a mammogram; and other independent variables were tested as predictors of screening mammography utilization. Regression analysis identified that the belief that having a mammogram eases recipients minds was the most significant predictor of screening mammography utilization. None of the other health beliefs or health concerns were significant predictors. Race/ethnicity had no direct effects on utilization nor was it a confounder in the relationship between health beliefs, concerns and utilization. These results indicate that, along with emphasizing the importance of mammograms in early detection of breast cancer, stressing the reassurance that mammography brings recipients may be an effective health education strategy for elderly women of different racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Sociodemographic Determinants of Nonattendance in a Population-Based Mammography Screening Program in the City of Manisa, Turkey

“…The mean score of the benefit was lower and the mean score of the barrier was higher in the nonattending group. Our finding that the perceived barriers represented the most prominent predictor of nonattendance corroborates the results of most previous studies but not all [42]. Elimination of barriers would seem to be an attractive way to increase attendance.…”

Validation of a susceptibility, benefits, and barrier scale for mammography screening among Peruvian women: a cross-sectional study

“…Based on the health belief model as a conceptual framework, studies have demonstrated that beliefs about breast cancer and mammography screening are important predictors of mammography compliance [15,16]. It follows that a scale exploring these beliefs should be able to distinguish between women who had received a mammogram from those who had not received a mammogram.…”

“…In addition to socioeconomic conditions and accessibility to health care, studies have shown that perceived beliefs about breast cancer and breast cancer screening are independent predictors of mammography compliance [14,15]. Thus, perceived benefits and barriers to mammography screening have been explored in diverse ethnic populations using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a framework [16,17].…”