title: Rural-urban differences in breast cancer screening among African American women.
abstract: This study reports on rural-urban differences in the effectiveness of a church-based educational program aimed at increasing breast cancer screening among African American women ages 40 and over. The data were drawn from an intervention study in urban Nashville, and a pilot extension of the study in five rural counties of West Tennessee. The partial program was equally effective in rural Tennessee (17.6% increase in mammography attainment from baseline to Time 3) and in urban Nashville (22.3% increase). The rural women reported more barriers to mammography screening than the urban women. The rural women were more likely not to get a mammogram because they did not perceive a need, because they thought mammography was embarrassing, and because of their religious beliefs. The results of this study demonstrate that an inexpensive church-based educational program was equally effective in both rural and urban Tennessee for increasing mammography rates among African American women.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Research, Tennessee State University in Nashville, Nashville, TN, USA. bahusaini@earthlink.net
authors.forename: Baqar A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Husaini
authors.forename: Janice S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.forename: Pamela C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hull
authors.forename: Darren E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Sherkat
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Van A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Cain
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012067:Religion; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population