Examining barriers associated with differential use of mammography within Latina communities

Mammography use is lower in low-income populations than other groups, and rarely- and never-screened populations bear a disproportionately high late-stage breast cancer burden. This study sought to identify barriers associated with differential use of mammography. Data were obtained from the Mujer Latina project, which placed computerized breast cancer education kiosks in low-income Latino communities during 2006-2007. The touch-screen kiosks collected information from users to create and print each person a tailored mammography magazine. Data from kiosk users aged 40 and over (n=146) were analyzed. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare the influence of self-reported barriers across three categories: current (screened within the past year), not current (last screened more than a year ago), and never screened. The current group served as the referent group, and odds ratios were adjusted for age and insurance status. Overall, 46% of individuals were current, 24% were not current, and 30% had never been screened. The only barrier associated with not being current was not receiving a provider recommendation for mammography in the past year (aOR=3.4, 95% CI: 1.1-10.4). Three barriers were associated with having never been screened: not knowing where to go to get a mammogram (aOR=13.1, 95% CI: 2.1-29.7), not having a close friend or relative who has had a mammogram (aOR=4.2, 95% CI: 1.6-10.9), and unwillingness to get a mammogram from non-Spanish speaking providers (aOR=2.9, 95% CI: 1.1-8.6). Findings can aid in developing targeted education and outreach strategies to increase mammography use among Latinas.