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

Abstract #115386

Elaine G. Zahnd, PhD¹, Susan A. Holtby, MPH², Christy McCain, MPH¹, and Y. Jenny Chia, PhD³. (1) Public Health Institute, 555 12th Street, 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607, 925/283-6432, ezahnd@phi.org, (2) Senior Research Scientist, Public Health Institute, 210 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, (3) Center for Health Policy Research, UCLA, 10911 Weyburn Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Background: In May 2002, researchers abruptly and prematurely ended the nation's largest clinical trial on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), noting that long-term use significantly increased women's risk of breast cancer, stroke and heart attack. Little research has been done to determine if women's knowledge of research-based warning of HRT risk disproportionately impacts women of different socio-economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Methods: The 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2001) is a telephone survey of 55,428 households; CHIS 2003 includes 42,044 households. The samples are designed to provide statewide estimates for California's overall population. Soon-to-be released CHIS 2003 data will be used to see if women's doctors' advice and/or women's knowledge of health warnings influenced their decisions to quit and whether such warnings have equal resonance among different groups of women. Results: Based on 2001 data, considerable differences were seen between HRT prevalence rates among women of varying backgrounds; Latinas (28.2%), African Americans (29.4%) and Asians and Pacific Islanders (32.3%) were all significantly less likely to use HRT compared to Whites (44.6%). South Asians (51.4%), Japanese (44.7%) and Koreans (39.3%) had statistically similar rates to Whites; Vietnamese, Chinese, and Filipino women all had significantly lower rates than Japanese women. Only 22.8% of immigrants used HRT compared to two out of five U.S. citizens. Comparative CHIS 2003 data will be analyzed upon release.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will identify whether science-based HRT evidence disproportionately affects women of different backgrounds, and better understand the role of media-based health dissemination.

Keywords: Menopause, Women's Health

Related Web page: chis.ucla.edu

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