Barriers and facilitators about breast cancer and screening among Mexican women living in rural Washington State

Background: Women who do not receive regular mammograms are more likely than others to have breast cancer diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Purpose: To explore barriers and facilitators of breast cancer and screening among Mexican women living in a rural area of Washington State.

Methods: Forty women participated in a semi-structured interview. Participants were selected if they were over age 50 and had either had a mammogram within the past two years, more than two years ago, or never had a mammogram. Grounded Theory methods were used to analyze these data. Constant comparisons were made by identifying variations in responses within and across groups according to adherency status.

Results: Common perceptions of breast cancer were that everyone has cancer in the body and that cancer leads to death. Having received a notice for screening and doctor recommendation were the most commonly stated influences to mammography screening. Other facilitators of screening included knowing that someone in the family had cancer and presence of a symptom, such as pain. The most common barriers perceived were putting off making an appointment and cost of exam. Other less commonly cited barriers were feeling a low risk of cancer, feeling healthy, and scared of having the exam.

Discussion: Understanding perceptions of barriers and facilitators of breast cancer and screening may help guide health care providers in addressing such issues with patients and help in the development of appropriate health education strategies to promote breast cancer screening among Mexican living in a rural area.