title: Identifying risk factors for disparities in breast cancer mortality among African-American and Hispanic women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study evaluated the risk factors associated with racial disparities in female breast cancer mortality for African-American and Hispanic women at the census tract level in Texas from 1995 to 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on female breast cancer cases were obtained from the Texas Cancer Registry. Socioeconomic and demographic data were collected from Census 2000. Network distance and driving times to mammography facilities were estimated using Geographic Information System techniques. Demographic, poverty and spatial accessibility factors were constructed using principal component analysis. Logistic regression models were developed to predict the census tracts with significant racial disparities in breast cancer mortality based on racial disparities in late-stage diagnosis and structured factors from the principal component analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Late-stage diagnosis, poverty factors, and demographic factors were found to be significant predictors of a census tract showing significant racial disparities in breast cancer mortality. Census tracts with higher poverty status were more likely to display significant racial disparities in breast cancer mortality for both African Americans (odds ratio [OR], 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.95-3.04) and Hispanics (OR, 5.30; 95% CI, 4.26-6.59). Spatial accessibility was not a consistent predictor of racial disparities in breast cancer mortality for African-American and Hispanic women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physical access to mammography facilities does not necessarily reflect a greater utilization of mammogram screening, possibly owing to financial constraints. Therefore, a metric measuring access to health care facilities is needed to capture all aspects of access to preventive care. Despite easier physical access to mammography facilities in metropolitan areas, great resources and efforts should also be devoted to these areas where racial disparities in breast cancer mortality are often found.
authors.affiliation: Texas Center for Geographic Information Science, Department of Geography, Texas State University-San Marcos, Texas 78666, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goovaerts
authors.forename: F Benjamin
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: T Edwin
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: J Gaines
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality*; D019352:Censuses; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology