Relationships of Family History-related Factors and Causal Beliefs to Cancer Risk Perception and Mammography Screening Adherence Among Medically Underserved Women

Soo Jung Hong, Melody Goodman, Kimberly A. Kaphingst

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study examines how family history-related factors and causal beliefs affect underserved women’s cancer risk perceptions and adherence to mammography. 1,010 patients at a primary care safety net clinic at a large urban hospital completed a survey in 2015. Of the 1,010 patients, 467 women 45 years of age or older were included in this analysis. The majority of participants were African American (68%). We built multivariable linear and logistic regression models to examine the dependent variables of cancer risk perception and mammography screening adherence. According to the results, those with a family history of cancer were significantly more likely to be adherent to mammography. Perceived importance of family health history also significantly predicted their mammography screening adherence. However, cancer risk perceptions did not predict underserved women’s mammography adherence. Significant interaction effects on the associations 1) between family cancer history, cancer risk perceptions, and mammography screening adherence and 2) between race, behavioral causal beliefs, and risk perceptions were found. Findings suggest that implementing different strategies across racial groups and by cancer history may be necessary to promote regular mammography screening.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)531-542
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Health Communication
Volume25
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020

Keywords

  • African Americans/psychology
  • Aged
  • Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
  • Early Detection of Cancer/statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease/ethnology
  • Health Care Surveys
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/ethnology
  • Humans
  • Mammography/statistics & numerical data
  • Medical History Taking
  • Medically Underserved Area
  • Middle Aged
  • Missouri
  • Patient Compliance/ethnology
  • Risk Assessment
  • Urban Population/statistics & numerical data

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Communication
  • Library and Information Sciences

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