Views of Mammography Screening Among U.S. Black and Hispanic Immigrant Women and Their Providers

Abstract

Views of ethnic immigrant women's experiences about mammography screening are important to determine barriers to cancer screening. We explored perceptions and barriers about mammography screening and breast health services among Haitian, Hispanic, Portuguese, and Somali women (n = 51) using semistructured interviews. Providers (n = 19) offered insight into health system barriers. Content analysis was conducted using qualitative data from the 2011 Komen Massachusetts needs assessment. Grounded theory was employed to explore themes and patterns in narratives. Six themes represented knowledge, health care, culture, spirituality, survivorship, and health systems improvement. Results may inform breast health policies that impact ethnic immigrant women in Massachusetts.

Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of routine breast cancer screening practices among migrant‐Australian women

“…A similar pattern was observed for English proficiency 21,22 . Limited English proficiency among migrants in Western countries has been consistently identified as a major barrier to BCS 14,23,24 …”

“…This is consistent with patterns observed among Hispanic-American 31 and Chinese-New Zealand 34 migrant women, and endorses the theory that BCS ratios increase in tandem with length of time in the adopted country. 23,31 This may be a function of increased exposure to health information, additional opportunities for health education 24 and development of skills to negotiate the health system. 35 Clearly, additional efforts should be directed at educating and promoting BCS awareness among new arrival immigrants.…”

“…21,22 Limited English proficiency among migrants in Western countries has been consistently identified as a major barrier to BCS. 14,23,24 Despite the ethnic heterogeneity of the Australian population, and the projection that breast cancer is likely to remain the most common female cancer, 2 few studies have systematically examined BCS practice in Australian migrant populations. To fill the paucity of literature, this article endeavours to collectively: 1) examine the BCS status (breast awareness, clinical breast examination and mammograms) of migrant-Australian women; and 2) analyse the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, acculturation level and BCS practices as recommended.…”

The sociology of cancer: a decade of research

“…, Wallace et al . ). Researchers emphasised the role of socioeconomic factors in preventing access to screening and preventive measures such as HPV vaccination (Patel et al .…”

Latina young adults' use of health care during initial months in the United States

“…Similarly, greater endorsement of the belief that Latina women should be the spiritual pillars of the family related with 36% lower chance of health care usage. This link may be due to spiritually-inclined young women using home remedies, medications/herbs, or folk healers first or in lieu of conventional health care (Wallace, Torres, Beltran, & Cohen-Boyar, 2014; Garcés et al, 2006; Mikhail, Wali, & Ziment, 2004). …”