Breast self-examination: The effects of personalized prompts on practice frequency

The present study evaluated the efficacy of personalized, face-to-face contacts at the workplace for promoting regular breast self-examination (BSE). Following participation in a BSE training workshop, subjects (N=151) were randomly assigned in clusters of work units to one of two experimental conditions: personal contact or control. For 6 months, both groups received mailed prompts biweekly. The personal contact group additionally received biweekly visits at work from one of the project staff, which included a reminder to practice BSE and feedback on the previous month's compliance. Results indicated that, overall, the compliance rate of the personal contact group was significantly higher relative to the compliance rate of the control group. However, BSE practice over time was not maintained. The results are discussed with emphases on the cost-intensity of the intervention and the temporal pattern of BSE performance.