 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Teresa C. Juarbe, RN, PhD1, Celia P Kaplan, DrPH2, Ginny Gildengorin, PhD2, and Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, MD1. (1) Center for Aging in Diverse Communities, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143-0856, (415) 476-9493, teresa.juarbe@nursing.ucsf.edu, (2) Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations, University of California San Francisco, Box 0856, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143
Background: Ethnic women are more likely to present with advanced stage breast cancer (BCA) and have less favorable outcomes than whites. Early efforts to detect BCA are ineffective if follow-up procedures are not completed. We investigated ethnic differences on BCA risk factors and whether age and other patient characteristics were related to follow-up procedures after an abnormal mammogram.
Methods: Women (N=970) with abnormal mammography requiring follow-up examination were enrolled from four clinical sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. We conducted telephone interviews and medical record reviews of follow-up procedures.
Results: African American (25%), Asian (15%), Latina (19 %) and white (42%) women aged 40 to 80 years (M=56.1, SD=10.2), and from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds were enrolled. Thirty-one percent had a suspicious or highly suspicious abnormality. We found ethnic differences on risk factors such as family history (P = 0.045), use of hormone replacement therapy (P = 0.001), and alcohol consumption (P = 0.001). Latinas were more likely to be dissatisfied with the initial screening (P = 0.012), to receive results later, (P = 0.03), and less likely to consult primary care providers about the abnormality (P = 0.013). Self-reported follow-up procedures included additional mammograms (54%), breast ultrasound (37%), and breast biopsy (39%). The relationship between risk factors and follow-up procedures will be discussed.
Conclusions: This study confirms patterns of ethnic and age-related differences that, in part, may explain persistence health disparities in follow-up procedures for abnormal mammography.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Breast Cancer Screening, Ethnicity
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.