SURVEY OF CLINICAL BREAST EXAMINATIONS AND USE OF SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY IN FLORIDA

This study examined data on usage of screening mammograms and clinical breast examination (CBE) by 1,339 Florida women interviewed during th e 1991 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, Among women 20 to 4 0 years old, 87.3% reported a CBE within the past 3 years, exceeding t he guidelines of the American Cancer Society Among older women, 70.4% had a CBE within the past year as recommended. However, only a bare ma jority (50.5%) of those aged 50 or older had obtained a mammogram in t he past year. Annual household income, but not educational level, was positively associated with adherence to mammography. Among those havin g mammograms, self-referred women were more educated, more affluent, a nd more likely to be white than were physician-referred women. Further efforts and resources must be directed toward education of physicians and the public on the value of regular mammography for all Florida wo men, especially for our elderly and economically disadvantaged.