Breast- and cervical-cancer screening among Korean women--Santa Clara County, California, 1994 and 2002.

Asians account for an increasing proportion of the U.S. population. Koreans are the fifth largest Asian subpopulation, totaling 1.2 million in 2000. In Santa Clara County (2000 population: 1.7 million), California, Koreans constitute 1.3% of the population. In 1994 and 2002, two population-based surveys were conducted among Korean women (2000 population: approximately 12,000) in Santa Clara County regarding breast- and cervical-cancer screening. The results were contrasted with two surveys of the general population of California women conducted during the same years. This report summarizes the findings of those surveys, which indicated that Korean women received less frequent breast- and cervical-cancer screening compared with all California women. This report also assesses compliance with the 2010 national health objectives for Papanicolaou (Pap) tests and mammography screening. Multifaceted community programs that include culturally and linguistically sensitive education of community members and their health-care providers, along with improved health-care access, will be required to achieve the 2010 national health objectives.