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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Jeanette M Lim, MPH1, Shin-Ping Tu1, Lorrie Alfonsi, MSW2, Veronica Kim, RN2, Kathy Lin, BN1, and Irene Chen2. (1) General Internal Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, Box 359780, 325 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-461-8546 x3210, jmlim@u.washington.edu, (2) International Community Health Services, 720 8th Ave S, Ste 100, Seattle, WA 98104
Breast cancer is the most common major malignancy among several Asian American ethnic groups. Studies also show Asian American women are less likely to follow-up with abnormal mammograms compared to white women.
Our study objectives included: 1) to collect data from Chinese and Vietnamese American women on their knowledge of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment modalities; and 2) to develop a brochure addressing the basic diagnostic workup and treatment issues.
We recruited a convenience sample of 235 women (78.3% Cantonese, 10.2% Mandarin and 11.1% Vietnamese) receiving mammograms at a Seattle community clinic. Almost 20% of women reported they had never heard of clinical breast exam (CBE) and mammogram despite the fact they were all scheduled to receive a mammogram on the day of the survey and that a prerequisite to the mammogram was a CBE. Higher proportions of women reported that they had never heard of ultrasound (37.6), biopsy (58.3), radiation therapy (40.5), chemotherapy (48.9), lumpectomy (32.3) and mastectomy (27.2). Nearly three-quarters of the women indicated they would like to know more about CBE and mammogram and over half of them wanted to know more about the other diagnostic tests and treatment modalities.
Our results show the need for a more comprehensive breast health education. In addition to promoting mammography screening, efforts to inform Chinese and Vietnamese American women on subsequent diagnostic procedures and basic treatment options are warranted.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Asian Women, Cancer Screening
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.