title: Influences on breast cancer screening behaviors in Tamil immigrant women 50 years old and over.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate, using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework, the incentives and barriers to breast cancer screening in a recent immigrant group, older Tamil women from Sri Lanka.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tamil women who had had a mammogram and Tamil women who had never had a mammogram were compared on the following variables: socio-demographics, personal risk estimates for breast cancer, risk-reduction expectancies, beliefs and knowledge about breast cancer and screening recommendations, and acculturation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Groups differed significantly in terms of education, years living in North America, acculturation, and beliefs/knowledge about breast cancer. When education and acculturation were controlled, perceived barriers to mammography were most predictive of mammography utilization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results are discussed with a view to developing culture-appropriate educational campaigns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 455030, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5030, USA. meana@nevada.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meana
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bunston
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rosser
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008327:Mammography / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009656:North America; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000208:ethnology