Effect of Mammography on Non-Breast Cancer Mortality

Background: Preventive health behaviors have been explored as social constructs, changing over time according to social norms.

 

Objective: To examine whether mammography receipt is associated with mortality due to causes other than breast cancer, hypothesizing that mammography screening is a proxy for a woman’s predisposition to seek preventive health behaviors.

 

Methods: Using data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey and 2000-2005 National Death Index, a discrete-time hazard model estimated mortality from any cause, breast cancer, and any cause except breast cancer as a function of screening status, controlling for age, race, education, poverty, marital status, usual source of care, smoking status, self-reported health, and BMI.

Results: Receiving a mammogram was associated with a 23% (p<0.05) reduction in the likelihood of all-cause mortality but significance disappeared after control variables were added.

Receiving a mammogram was associated with a 26% (e^-0.295, p<0.05) reduction in the likelihood of mortality from all causes except breast cancer. This effect remained, after controlling for race, education and poverty (16%, e-^0.18, p<0.05) but disappeared after controlling for the other variables. No significant effect was seen on deaths due to breast cancer.

Discussion: Results suggest women who undergo mammograms were more likely to seek other preventive health services or engage in healthy behaviors that affect mortality. Identifying characteristics of women who are more likely to engage in preventive behavior may help health and education interventions identify and target vulnerable populations.