Screening for cervical and breast cancer among Caribbean immigrants

A screening program for cervical and breast cancer, focused on immigrant Caribbean women, was carried out at neighborhood sites (churches, schools, etc.) in a low-income area of Brooklyn, New York.The yield of abnormal Pap tests was 13.3/1000 women screened; the yield of breast cancer was 2.2/1000 women examined. Approximately half of the Haitian immigrants (N=361) had no prior Pap test, compared to one-quarter of the English-speaking Caribbean immigrants (N=228) and one-tenth of the U.S.-born Black women (N=264). Only 47% of Haitian women had a regular source of health care compared to 74% of the English speaking Caribbean women and 83% of the U.S.-born Black women. Haitian women were much less likely to practice breast self-examination or to use contraception than were U.S.-born Black women.This program reveals significant needs for preventive health services among low-income Caribbean immigrant women, and demonstrates that selective neighborhood-site programs can be effective in reaching those in need.Rachel G. Fruchter, MPH, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Carolyn Wright, MS, is Community Health Educator/Coordinator, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health. Barbara Habenstreit, MA, is Assistant to the Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health. Jean Claude Remy, MD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. John G. Boyce, MD, is Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Pascal James Imperato, MD, MPH & TM is Professor and Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center.This research was supported by grants from the New York Community Trust and the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York Charitable Trust