Influences on breast cancer screening behaviors in Tamil immigrant women 50 years old and over.
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.
Meana
M
M
Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 455030, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5030, USA. meana@nevada.edu
Bunston
T
T
George
U
U
Wells
L
L
Rosser
W
W
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