Evaluation of a community breast screening promotion program.
BACKGROUND
This study reports results of a controlled evaluation of a comprehensive community breast screening promotion program. This program promoted increased use of mammography, clinical breast examination, and breast self-examination through community organization, physician training, and public education.


METHODS
The program was conducted in one of three matched Florida study areas, with before and after assessment of breast screening behaviors, beliefs, and perceptions of women ages 40 and older. Baseline measures in 1990 were obtained by combining telephone and household survey data; follow-up measures using similar combined data were conducted with 4,096 women in 1997.


RESULTS
. There was no evidence that the breast screening promotion program achieved higher levels of screening among women ages 40 and older in the program area. Mammography use and supportive beliefs and perceptions of mammography increased in all three study areas between 1990 and 1997.


CONCLUSIONS
Among factors that may have reduced the differential impact of the program were public attention to breast cancer screening in the late 1980s throughout the U.S., effects of managed care, and limited penetration of a key program component. While the program was well received and served the community, its impact was overwhelmed by temporal trends observed in this study.
Worden
John K
JK
Office of Health Promotion Research, University of Vermont, Burlington 05401, USA. John.Worden@uvm.edu
Mickey
Ruth M
RM
Vacek
Pamela M
PM
Flynn
Brian S
BS
Solomon
Laura J
LJ
Secker-Walker
Roger H
RH
Skelly
Joan M
JM
Danigelis
Nicholas L
NL
Geller
Berta M
BM
Warner
Susan L
SL
Clark
Robert A
RA
Foster
Roger S
RS
Vezina
J Luc
JL
Hooper
Gloria
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016504:Breast Self-Examination; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D040241:Social Marketing