Is Knowledge Of Mammography Screening Affected By The Changing Guidelines?

Syracuse University School of Public Communications with support from CECHE measured the change in women’s awareness and knowledge of mammography screening as a result of the controversy on screening guidelines in 1997 and to identify subgroups that were particularly vulnerable to the asymmetric dissemination of mammography screening guidelines.

Study Design

Data were analyzed from two telephone surveys fielded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on knowledge and attitudes towards mammography in 1997—wave I (Feb 28- March 11) at a time of great controversy and debate on screening guidelines, and wave II (July 25 - Aug 3) after debate closed with NCAB’s new screening guidelines. In this study, all 509 women surveyed in wave I and 1007 women in wave II were analyzed and their confusion and knowledge about the right age (defined as age 40) to start routine mammogram were compared over time. Then weighted logistic regressions were run to identify the demographic (age, race, Hispanic origin, marital status) and socioeconomic (education, income, employment status, home ownership) factors that are predictive of a woman’s confusion and knowledge levels in light of the dissemination of the new screening guidelines (wave II).

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the long-standing political controversy on when women should start regular mammography screening.
  • Identify the subgroups that are particularly vulnerable to the wavering screening guidelines.
  • Propose strategies to develop more effective cancer screening education and outreach efforts.

Principal Findings

In both waves, about half the women said that they were confused about the right age for regular mammography. However, the percentage of women who truly knew the right age declined significantly over time from 38.3% to 31.0% (p= .000). In the subgroup analysis, older women (aged 50+) scored significantly lower on confusion level (OR= .941, p= .000) and higher on knowledge level (OR= 1.087, p= .001). Higher income ( ? ) was another valid predictor of lower confusion (OR= .851, p= .001) and higher knowledge (OR= 1.351, p= .000). Being white also meant being less confused (OR= .595, p= .001) and more knowledgeable (OR= 1.342, p= .092). Education did not make a difference in true knowledge outcomes. However, compared to women with high school or less education, the better-educated, including those with some college/technical school (OR= 2.164, p= .000), college degrees (OR=1.667, p= .001), and graduate education (OR= 1.542, p= .006), were all substantially more likely to acknowledge confusion.

highlights

  • Women remained confused and uninformed despite the influx of mammography information.
  • Women with poor education were less aware of the issue.
  • Higher income, being white or older were associated with less confusion & greater knowledge.

conclusion

The influx of information on new screening guidelines did not automatically make women more informed about mammography screening. Rather, messages carrying little policy consensus made women still confused and even less knowledgeable. Women with poor education (high school and less) tended to be less aware of the issue to begin with, and this coupled with their generally lower income, led to the significant socioeconomic gap on knowledge about mammography screening. Future health policy messages should be translated and delivered in such a way that they could a) reach the women in need, and b) make sense to the general public.

 

 



In Focus, CECHE's new online publication, brings into focus lifestyle-related chronic diseases and environmental issues worldwide. It reaches health professionals and policy-makers in over 50 countries

Latest Issue | All Issues


MONITOR Quicklinks
- Latest Issue
- New Dietary Guidelines
- Global AIDS action
- Obesity Spreads
- WHO tackles epidemic
- Anti-Tobacco Forces
- PAST ISSUES
MONITOR Subscription subscribe
unsubscribe

 

 

 



Questions? Comments? Concerns? E-mail CECHE at CECHE@comcast.net
CECHE LogoGo back to the CECHE home page