What makes it easy or hard to receive, recommend and/or provide breast health screening to women with physical disabilities? Insights from women and health care providers

Background/Significance: US women who are living with physical disabilities have an equal or greater chance as other women of developing breast cancer. For these women and their health care providers, the ability to receive, recommend and/or provide breast health screenings (clinical breast exams, mammograms, self breast exams) as nationally recommended can be challenging.

Objective/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to better understand the factors that impact preventive breast health screening from the perspectives of women with physical disabilities and health care providers in North Central Florida.

Methods: In partnership with the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida and under the guidance of a Steering Committee (comprising individuals from the disability community, and representatives from local-, state-, and federal-level organizations), in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with 30 women with physical disabilities and 29 health care providers. Analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative techniques.

Results and Discussion: Among women respondents, nearly all had “ever” received the three breast health screenings, yet most were currently off-schedule with recommended guidelines. In elucidating the issues surrounding screening, we will report key factors and themes that emerged from the interviews – focusing on those found to be similar and unique among providers and women. These include: knowledge and attitudes about cancer and screening, opinions and experiences related to health care accessibility, and perceptions related to the role disability plays in health care behavior and practice. Finally, we will discuss implications of these findings for future inquiry and intervention.