title: Financial incentive and the use of mammography among Hispanic migrants to the United States.
abstract: Researchers in migrant health clinics in Washington state found cost to be the single most commonly reported reason given by foreign-born Hispanic women for never having had a mammogram. The true significance of this finding beyond self-report was unknown. A randomized intervention trial designed to test the effect of fully subsidized mammograms on utilization was conducted within this population. Women in the intervention group received standard clinic instruction plus a voucher for a free mammogram. Controls received standard clinic instruction alone. Eighty-seven percent of women receiving vouchers obtained a mammogram within 30 days, compared with 17.5% of controls. Logistic regression analysis revealed that women receiving vouchers were 47 times more likely to obtain a mammogram than controls. This confirms women's self-report that cost is a major barrier to accessing screening mammograms in this low-income migrant population, and that women are more likely to utilize this service when financial barriers are removed.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Skaer
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Robison
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sclar
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Harding
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008327:Mammography / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000523:psychology*; D014861:Washington