Racial differences in preventive practices of African-American and Hispanic women.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the use of preventive practices of Hispanic- and African-American women aged 50 and older.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Inpatient and outpatient units of a teaching hospital located in South Central Los Angeles.


METHODS
Convenience sample of 337 women aged 50 and older.


METHODS
Demographic and lifestyle characteristics and selected preventive practices. Preventive practices reported were self-breast examination, mammography, Papanicolaou (Pap) smear, digital rectal examination and stool occult blood examination, sigmoidoscopy, chemoprophylaxis, and immunization. Information was obtained in a face-to-face interview.


RESULTS
African-American women were more likely to have had a Pap smear ever and to have used aspirin prophylaxis than Hispanic women.


CONCLUSIONS
There were no major differences in the use of preventive services by the two ethnic groups except for Pap smear and aspirin use. Immunization and colorectal cancer screening rates were low in African-American and Hispanic women.
Ganesan
Kalpana
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, California, USA. kaganesa@cdrewu.edu
Teklehaimanot
Senait
S
Akhtar
Abbasi J
AJ
Wijegunaratne
Jayantha
J
Thadepalli
Khyathi
K
Ganesan
Nandakumar
N
D001741:Black or African American; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D015141:Los Angeles; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012923:Social Class