Abstract B87: Factors associated with mammography screening in cities of four contiguous U.S. states whose 2010 mammography rates for women aged 40 and older ranged from 63.8 to 75.2 percent.

Objectives: To evaluate access to care, socio-economic status (SES), and other demographic factors at regional and individual levels that predict the probability of women 40 and older getting mammography screening for breast cancer within the previous two years in cities of Idaho, which has the lowest mammography rates nationally, and contiguous states of Washington, Montana and North Dakota.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2010 Center for Disease Control (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) individual survey data for women 40 and over residing in cities of Idaho, Washington, Montana, and North Dakota. Regional characteristics for cities within each state included a created variable of the sum of general and OB/GYN physicians divided by the civil population to represent provider density and 2010 American Community Survey demographic data from the US census spatially linked to the study area using ArcGIS.

Results: Having a personal doctor was significantly associated with having a mammogram within the previous two years for women 40 and older in all but one city. Controlling for socio-demographic variables, women 40 and older who had a routine check-up within last 2 years had greater odds of having timely mammography for all cities. The provider density was significantly associated with mammography in the previous two years only in cities in Idaho, which had the lowest mammography rates nationally. Women 40 and older in cities with higher SES (income >50K, high school education or greater) had greater odds of having a mammogram within the previous two years in cities of Idaho, N. Dakota and Washington, but not Montana.

Conclusions: State-wide policies directed at improving mammography should include an effort to establish a relationship with a medical care provider.

Citation Format: Ann M. Han, Shwetha Sequeira, Loretta Berger. Factors associated with mammography screening in cities of four contiguous U.S. states whose 2010 mammography rates for women aged 40 and older ranged from 63.8 to 75.2 percent. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B87.