Determinants of participation in a breast cancer screening trial in trivandrum district, India.
BACKGROUND
Conspicuous differences in participation rates for breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE), and referral for further investigations have been observed indicating involvement of a number of different factors. This study analysed determinants for participation in different levels of the breast cancer screening process in Indian females.


METHODS
An intervention group of 52,011 women was interviewed in a breast cancer screening trial in Trivandrum district, India. In order to assess demographic, socio-economic, reproductive, and cancer-related determinants of participation in BSE, CBE, and referral, uni- and multi-variate logistic regression was employed.


RESULTS
Of the interviewed women, 23.2% reported practicing BSE, 96.8% had attended CBE, and 49.1% of 2,880 screen-positives attended referral. Results showed an influence of various determinants on participation; women who were currently not married or who had no family history of cancer were significantly less likely to attend the screening process at any level.


CONCLUSIONS
Increasing awareness about breast cancer, early detection methods, and the advantages of early diagnoses among women, and their families, as well as health care workers offering social support, could help to increase participation over the entire screening process in India.
Early Detection and Prevention, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France E-mail : grossefriek@iarc.fr.
Kirstin
K
Grosse Frie
Kunnambath
K
Ramadas
Gopan Anju
GA
Anju
Beela Sara
BS
Mathew
Richard
R
Muwonge
Catherine Sauvaget
CS
Sauvaget
Somanathan Thara
ST
Thara
Rengaswamy
R
Sankaranarayanan
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001364:Awareness; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D016504:Breast Self-Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D011379:Prognosis