Perceived barriers to mammography among underserved women in a Breast Health Center Outreach Program

Background

To investigate perceived barriers to mammography among underserved women, we asked participants in the Siteman Cancer Center Mammography Outreach Registry–developed in 2006 to evaluate mobile mammography's effectiveness among the underserved–why they believed women did not get mammograms.

Methods

The responses of approximately 9,000 registrants were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. We report adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) significant at 2-tailed P values less than .05.

Results

Fears of cost (40%), mammogram-related pain (13%), and bad news (13%) were the most commonly reported barriers. Having insurance was associated with not perceiving cost as a barrier (OR .44, 95% CI .40 to .49), but with perceiving fear of both mammogram-related pain (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.60) and receiving bad news (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.60) as barriers.

Conclusion

Despite free services, underserved women continue to report experiential and psychological obstacles to mammography, suggesting the need for more targeted education and outreach in this population.