Gender, social ties, and cancer screening by elderly persons

Social ties are strongly related to mortality and mental health outcomes. Less is known about their relationships with health behaviors. Medicare pays for prostate and breast cancer screening despite professional uncertainty about their utility for persons aged 70 or older. This study examines the association of social ties with prostate and breast cancer screening using data from the Longitudinal Study on Aging II (LSOA II).

The sample was restricted to the 4,419 respondents aged 70-85 at baseline without prostate or breast cancer, who completed the Wave 2 CATI instrument. The dependent variable was receipt of screening within the past two years, measured in Wave 2. Other demographic, health and social network variables were measured in Wave 1. Social network variables were marital status, interaction with friends and relatives, and church attendance. Models used individual indicators and a composite social network index. The analysis used survey analysis procedures of Stata to address the complex sample design.

The social ties of women and men differed: women were much less likely to be married, but somewhat more likely to attend church and interact with friends and relatives. Women were less likely to have mammography than men to have prostate cancer screening; the decline with age was greater for women. In both genders, individual social network indicators and the composite index were related to greater screening rates. Screening was not associated with physical functioning or perceived health. Screening decisions of elderly men and women are not incorporating information about healthy life expectancy.