Mammography for older women: who uses, who benefits?
In order to juxtapose the health, social, and behavioral factors associated with use of screening mammography with short-term mortality among elderly women, we analyzed the NHIS Cancer Epidemiology Supplemental Survey and the Longitudinal Study of Aging. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, having a usual source of care of and knowledge of screening guidelines, we found that a woman's health status is unrelated to having had a screening mammogram. Analyses of the LSOA, however, revealed that health factors were strongly related to 4-year mortality, particularly among women 75 and over. As it is unlikely that the subpopulation of older women who are at high risk of death within 4 years will benefit from a program of universal screening, outreach program messages and physician education programs should probably be designed to proactively recruit those most likely to benefit.
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Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912.
Pacala
J T
JT
Rakowski
W
W
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008403:Mass Screening; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis