PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of using an educational program based on self-efficacy to increase knowledge and create behavior change regarding recommended mammography and Papanicolaou (Pap) test screening guidelines. DESIGN Pretest and post-test, prospective. SETTING An urban county in northern Indiana. SAMPLE 56 women who attended one of four educational programs and ...

Changes in the organisation of health care have dominated policy initiatives over the past two decades in many countries. An increasing reliance on public health initiatives to prevent or detect disease early has resulted in an increase in programs that screen for cancer in the community. In turn, this accentuates the need to persuasively communicate the value of such initiatives to encourage c...

This study examined whether providing messages matched to women's monitor-blunter coping styles is effective in encouraging mammography utilization. Female callers to a cancer information hotline were assessed at the end of their regular telephone call and classified as monitors or blunters. A randomly assigned message promoting mammography utilization, tailored for monitors or blunters, was de...

Understanding factors that promote or prevent adherence to recommended health behaviors is essential for developing effective health programs, particularly among lower income populations who carry a disproportionate burden of disease. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 64) with low-income Black and Latina women who shared the experience of requiring diagnostic follow-up after hav...

BACKGROUND Cancer screening rates vary substantially by race and ethnicity. We applied the Peters-Belson approach, often used in wage discrimination studies, to analyze disparities in cancer screening rates between different groups using the 1998 National Health Interview Survey. METHODS A regression model predicting the probability of getting screened is fit to the majority group and then us...

BACKGROUND Increasing colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) is important for attaining the Healthy People 2020 goal of reducing CRC-related morbidity and mortality. Evaluating CRCS trends can help identify shifts in CRCS, and specific groups that might be targeted for CRCS. METHODS We utilized medical records to describe population-based adherence to average-risk CRCS guidelines from 1997 to 200...

STUDY OBJECTIVE In 1998, the International Breast Cancer Screening Network (IBSN) sponsored an assessment of quality assurance policies and practices to define their scope for population-based screening mammography programmes across IBSN countries. DESIGN Analysis of data from a survey designed to assess multiple elements of screening programme quality assurance, including organisation of qua...

OBJECTIVE In Germany, approximately 10 million women between the ages of 50 and 69 are eligible for biennial mammography screening. Mammography is at the center of much controversy, however, which means gynecologists must provide women considering mammography with sufficient and transparent information. The present study analyzed the information gynecologists share with a person seeking advice ...

BACKGROUND The 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force breast cancer screening update recommended against routine screening mammography for women aged 40-49; confusion and release of conflicting guidelines followed. We examined the impact of the USPSTF update on population-level screening mammography rates in women ages 40-49. METHODS AND FINDINGS We conducted a retrospective, interrupted time...