Breast Cancer Screening in a Low Income Managed Care Populaton
Abstract
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality for women in Tennessee and throughout the United States. Recent studies reported a decline in breast cancer mortality for US women. However, this trend is not evident for underserved populations. Breast cancer death is most preventable when diagnosed at its earliest stages. Regular mammography can detect cancer at early stages. Although, the utilization of mammography increased, it continues to be underutilized by underserved women. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a stepwise intervention to overcome barriers to screening in underserved women age 40 years and above enrolled in a statewide Managed Care Organization. Preliminary results show a significant improvement on mammography screening rates for the complex intervention over the simple one. A positive trend in the complex intervention group over the usual care group, was observed. It was not significant likely due to small sample. The use of telephone for contacting this subjects was not feasible. Chattanooga data suggest a positive trend in favor of the complex intervention It may be concluded that home visit is a labor intensive form of intervention, but useful for reaching underserved populations for cancer prevention and control.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADB263445
Entities
People
- Nasar Ahmed
Organizations
- Meharry Medical College