2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

329256
Assessing the underlying beliefs and perceptions of women who get a regular mammogram vs. those who do not: An application of Reasoned Action Approach


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Alireza Geshnizjani, PhD, MPH, MS, Community Health Education and Recreation, University of Maine, Farmington, ME
Background: Breast cancer is a major public health concern in the US, especially in rural areas The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the underlying beliefs (behavioral beliefs) and circumstances (control beliefs) towards getting a mammogram women who get mammograms regularly and those who do not utilizing the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA).

Methods: A sample of 555 women (aged 40-75) who have had at least one mammogram completed an RAA-based questionnaire online and in person. Women were recruited from a local mammogram facility and from a free clinic located in rural Indiana. Two multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to compare women who get regular mammograms and those who do not get a regular mammogram on the underlying determinants.

Results: The results revealed that women who had been getting a regular mammogram differed from those who had not on their assessment of six of the eleven beliefs: cost, exposure to radiation, pain, embarrassment, and early detection of tumor. In addition, women differed on four of the seven control belief measures: having time, support of their physicians, having an insurance, and having a technician that makes them feel comfortable.

Implications: Findings suggest that public health professionals should design interventions that are tailored to changing these specific beliefs and circumstances in order to increase regular mammogram use. For example, educational interventions that can increase knowledge about radiation exposure, pain, and early detection of tumors as well as policy changes on providing discounted mammograms may be effective.

Learning Areas:

Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify differences between women who get a regular mammogram vs. those who do not in terms of behavioral beliefs of the HPV vaccine Identify differences between women who get a regular mammogram vs. those who do not in terms of control beliefs of the HPV vaccine Describe potential interventions to promote getting a regular mammogram using the RAA as a framework

Keyword(s): Cancer, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified because I have conducted research in public health for the past 9 years. I have done research on women's health issues such as cervical cancer, breast cancer, sexual assault and domestic violence. I have presented on women's health issues at APHA for the last 5 years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4094.0: Fight like a girl: Health promotion, GIS mapping and cancer screenings (a collaborative session between the Women's Caucus and Cancer Forum)