CANCER SCREENING BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES OF WOMEN IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA

Objectives.-To determine the rates at which women received screening P apanicolaou tests, clinical breast examinations, and mammography and t o determine the extent to which these women might be expected to respo nd to screening recommendations from their physicians. Design.-Random- digit-dial telephone interviews conducted in January 1993. Setting.-Fi fteen counties in southeastern Minnesota. Subjects.-A sample of 1019 w omen who completed the telephone interview. Main Outcome Measures.-Sel f-reported Papanicolaou test, clinical breast examination, acid mammog raphy screening rates, with verification from medical records for a ra ndomly selected subsample of 200 respondents who reported having had a test within 1 year of the interview. Results.-For women aged 18 years and older, 60% (95% confidence interval, +/-3.4%) reported having had a Papanicolaou test within the preceding year. For women 40 years of age and older, 57% (95% confidence interval, +/-3,5%) reported having had a clinical breast examination in the past year, and 46% (95% confi dence interval, +/-3,6%) reported having had a screening mammogram wit hin 1 year. The verified 1-year Papanicolaou test and mammogram rates were 35% and 33%, respectively. More than 90% of the respondents expre ssed a willingness to have these tests if their physicians were to adv ise them that the tests were indicated. However, 53% and 54% of the re spondents, respectively, said that they either did not care or did not want their physicians to remind them when they were due for a Papanic olaou test or a mammogram. Conclusions.-Although self-reported screeni ng rates in this population meet Healthy People 2000 goals, verified r ates were significantly below target levels. A substantial proportion of women in this population remain ambivalent about participating in c ancer detection programs.