Factors associated with attendance and attendance patterns in a population-based mammographic screening program.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the factors associated with attendance and attendance pattern in BreastScreen Norway.

METHODS

We evaluated the number of invitations (n = 1,253,995) and attendances, 2015-2019, stratified by age, invitation method, screening unit and time of appointment. Attendance pattern was analysed for women invited 10 times (n = 47,979), 1996-2019. The association of education level, body mass index, physical activity and smoking status with attendance was analysed for a sub-sample of women (n = 37,930). Descriptive statistics were used to analyse attendance, and negative binomial regression was used to analyse the association between the total number of attendances and education level and lifestyle factors.

RESULTS

The attendance rate was 76.0%, 2015-2019. The rate was 78.0% for women aged >64 and 73.9% for those <55 . We found a rate of 82.0% for women who received a digital invitation, while it was 73.7% for those invited by post. The rate was 78.1% for invitations in the late afternoon, 3-6 p.m., while later appointments reached a rate of 73.7%. Half of the women invited 10 times attended all times. The predicted total number of attendances was 9 out of 10 for the factors investigated.

CONCLUSION

The highest attendance rates were shown for women aged >64, those who received digital invitations and those having appointments in late afternoon. The differences in predicted number of attendances between the investigated factors were minor. Overall, BreastScreen Norway has a high attendance rate. However, efforts aimed at increasing the attendance in specific groups should be considered.