Promoters and barriers to mammography screening in multiethnic inner city patients

Abstract Introduction The goal of this study was to understand promoters and barriers to annual mammography screening among multiethnic inner city women aged 40 years and above. Methods Women at 4 community health centers were asked to fill out a self-administered survey and divided into 2 groups. Group A consisted of women who had a mammogram in the last 2 years and group B of women who had never had a mammogram or for whom it had been over 2 years since their last mammogram. Results One hundred forty-four of 172 (84%) women approached agreed to fill out the survey: 80% self-reported as group A and 20% as group B. Group A women were more likely to have someone recommend they get a mammogram, have a primary care provider (PCP), and have a female PCP. Group B women reported they were “too busy” and would prefer a walk-in mammogram clinic. Conclusions Mammography screening remains a public health challenge.