Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114961

Nadereh Pourat, PhD, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 10911 Weyburn Ave, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90024, 310/794-2201, pourat@ucla.edu, Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, RN, MN, PhD, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095, Nancy Breen, PhD, Applied Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Blvd MSC 7344, Suite 4005, Bethesda, MD 20892-7344, Steven S. Coughlin, PhD, MPH, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE (K-55), Atlanta, GA 30341, Ninez Alafriz Ponce, MPP, PhD, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, UCLA School of Public Health, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, and Teresa Mclean, PhD, Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch, Formerly with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE (K-55), Atlanta, GA 30341.

Asian American (AA) women have the lowest rates of screening among all ethnic groups in the United States and certain Asian subgroups present with later disease at diagnosis. Few population based data sources contain data on subgroups of Asian Americans. Consequently, these diverse ethnic groups are often examined and analyzed as a single race/ethnic category, masking significant differences in rates of cancer screening among subgroups. Furthermore, variations in key predictors of breast and cervical cancer screening among subgroups of AA women remain unknown.

The 2001 population-based California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2001) sample on Asian Americans was used to compare the rates of cervical cancer screening for women 18 and older and of mammogram screening for women 40 and over with national guidelines recommended for Pap and mammography screening respectively. The relative importance of key predictors that promote or inhibit cancer screening were then identified.

Preliminary results revealed that Asian American women are a relatively young population with bimodal poverty level distribution, mostly immigrants, and with mixed access to health care services. Significant diversity is noted with groups such as Vietnamese (61%) and Cambodian (67%) most frequently living below poverty compared to South Asians (16%) and Japanese (22%). Koreans least often reported having a usual source of care (72%) and Japanese (93%) most often reported being insured. Key predictors of breast and cervical cancer screening varied, for example, poverty and English fluency were significant predictors of Pap testing among Chinese women; yet, they were not among Vietnamese and Cambodian women.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the characteristics of subgroups of Asian American women and rates of breast and cervical cancer screening.
• Understand the differential impact of key predictors of cancer screening among subgroups of Asian American women.

Keywords: Asian Women, Breast Cancer Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation