Pattern of participation in a cohort aged 50-60 years at first invitation to the service-screening programme with mammography in Stockholm county, Sweden.
BACKGROUND
Mammography screening can only be effective if a high proportion of the invited women attend. The aim of the present study was to search for patterns of participation in women who were invited to five consecutive rounds in a large screening programme.


METHODS
Stockholm service-screening programme started 1989 and invites women between 50 and 69 years of age to mammography with 2 years interval. 64,852 women were eligible for an invitation to all five rounds during a 10-year period and were included in the study.


RESULTS
More than 50% attended at all five rounds, and more than 70% at least four rounds. Only 8.5% were permanent non-participants. Women who attended at the first invitation round were more likely to attend also at subsequent rounds.


CONCLUSIONS
It is possible to reach a high participation also in a large urban screening programme, but it seems that the invitation and examination at first round are most important in order to get a high compliance. Women who come at first round are more likely to come back for routine screening at a majority of subsequent rounds.
Törnberg
Sven
S
Cancer Screening Unit, Oncologic Centre M8, Karolinska University Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. sven.tornberg@sll.se
Kemetli
Levent
L
Svane
Gunilla
G
Rosén
Måns
M
Stenbeck
Magnus
M
Nyström
Lennarth
L
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010358:Patient Participation; D013222:State Medicine; D013548:Sweden; D014505:Urban Population