title: Health care access and breast cancer screening among Latinas along the California-Mexican border.
abstract: Latinas are more likely to exhibit late stage breast cancers at the time of diagnosis and have lower survival rates compared to white women. A contributing factor may be that Latinas have lower rates of mammography screening. This study was guided by the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use to examine factors associated with mammography screening utilization among middle-aged Latinas. An academic-community health center partnership collected data from community-based sample of 208 Latinas 40 years and older in the San Diego County who completed measures assessing psychosocial factors, health care access, and recent mammography screening. Results showed that 84.6 % had ever had a mammogram and 76.2 % of women had received a mammogram in the past 2 years. Characteristics associated with mammography screening adherence included a lower acculturation (OR 3.663) a recent physician visit in the past year (OR 6.304), and a greater confidence in filling out medical forms (OR 1.743), adjusting for covariates. Results demonstrate that an annual physical examination was the strongest predictor of recent breast cancer screening. Findings suggest that in this community, improving access to care among English-speaking Latinas and addressing health literacy issues are essential for promoting breast cancer screening utilization.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 9245 Sky Park Court, Suite 110, San Diego, CA, 92123, USA, scastaneda@mail.sdsu.edu.
authors.forename: Sheila F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Castañeda
authors.forename: Vanessa L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Malcarne
authors.forename: Pennie G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Foster-Fishman
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Manpreet K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mumman
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Georgia R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Sadler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology*; D002140:California; D003710:Demography; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care