Sadler Georgia R, Ko Celine M, Cohn Jennifer A, White Monique, Weldon Rai-nesha, Wu Phillis
Moores UCSD Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 90293-0850, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2007 Apr 17;7:57. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-7-57.
African American women have higher rates of breast cancer mortality than their white counterparts. Studies have suggested that this is partly caused by discovery of cancer at a later stage, highlighting the importance of encouraging early detection of breast cancer in this population. To guide the creation of a breast cancer education intervention and help focus other health educators' and clinicians' health promotion efforts, this study explored whether a cohort of African American women living in San Diego would demonstrate the possession of adequate baseline knowledge about breast cancer screening and adherence to widely recommended screening guidelines.
African American women (N = 1,055) from San Diego, California participated in a beauty salon-based survey about breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and screening practices. Women's ages ranged from 20 to 94 years, with average age of 42.20 (SD = 13.53) years. Thirty-four percent reported completing college and/or some graduate school training, and 52% reported having some college or post high school formal training. Seventy-five percent of the sample reported working outside their home. Participating cosmetologists and their salons were recruited to the study through word-of-mouth referral by highly respected African American community leaders.
Salon clients reported low rates of adherence to recommended breast cancer screening guidelines. Of the 1,055 participants, 31% reporting performing breast self-exam every month. Of those participants 40 and older, 57% reported having had a clinical breast exam and 43% reported having had a mammogram in the past year. Knowledge of breast cancer was associated with adherence to screening guidelines. While women recognized the serious health threat that breast cancer poses and that early detection of breast cancer is important, only 30% of women reported feeling well informed about the disease. Many participants demonstrated a lack of basic knowledge about breast cancer. The Health Belief Model postulates that access to such information is an essential element in the progression toward engaging in screening behaviors.
Data from this study reflect a continuing need for increased breast cancer education for African American women. In light of the considerable mainstream information available related to breast cancer, these data reinforce the need for more breast cancer education programs that are clearly intended to attract the attention of African American women.
非裔美国女性的乳腺癌死亡率高于白人女性。研究表明，这部分是由于癌症在较晚阶段才被发现，这凸显了鼓励该人群早期发现乳腺癌的重要性。为了指导创建乳腺癌教育干预措施，并帮助其他健康教育工作者和临床医生集中精力开展健康促进工作，本研究探讨了一群居住在圣地亚哥的非裔美国女性是否具备足够的关于乳腺癌筛查的基线知识，以及是否遵守广泛推荐的筛查指南。
来自加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥的1055名非裔美国女性参与了一项基于美容院的关于乳腺癌知识、态度和筛查行为的调查。女性年龄在20至94岁之间，平均年龄为42.20岁（标准差=13.53）。34%的女性报告完成了大学和/或一些研究生阶段的培训，52%的女性报告接受过一些大学或高中后正规培训。75%的样本报告在外工作。参与研究的美容师及其美容院是通过备受尊敬的非裔美国社区领袖的口碑推荐招募到该研究中的。
美容院顾客报告称遵守推荐的乳腺癌筛查指南的比例较低。在1055名参与者中，31%的人报告每月进行乳房自我检查。在40岁及以上的参与者中，57%的人报告在过去一年中进行过临床乳房检查，43%的人报告进行过乳房X光检查。乳腺癌知识与遵守筛查指南有关。虽然女性认识到乳腺癌构成的严重健康威胁以及早期发现乳腺癌的重要性，但只有30%的女性报告对该疾病了解充分。许多参与者表现出对乳腺癌缺乏基本知识。健康信念模型假定，获取此类信息是朝着采取筛查行为发展的一个基本要素。
本研究的数据反映出持续需要加强对非裔美国女性的乳腺癌教育。鉴于有大量与乳腺癌相关的主流信息，这些数据强化了需要更多明确旨在吸引非裔美国女性关注的乳腺癌教育项目。
