Tc. Michels et al., BARRIERS TO SCREENING - THE THEORY OF REASONED ACTION APPLIED TO MAMMOGRAPHY USE IN A MILITARY BENEFICIARY POPULATION, Military medicine, 160(9), 1995, pp. 431-437
Background: Mammography practices of women eligible for military healt
h care are not known. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to a stratif
ied sample of 500 military beneficiary women. The hypothesis was that
this group would not differ from the general population in regular mam
mography use (31%) and that the theory of reasoned action (TRA) is sig
nificantly associated with intent to obtain a mammogram. Results: Only
12.8% of these women had regular mammography according to current rec
ommendations. High participation is associated with breast cancer risk
factors, income, education, perceived risk of breast cancer, and a do
ctor's recommendation. The expanded model of the TRA regression is sig
nificantly associated with intent. Conclusions: Regular use of mammogr
aphy among military beneficiaries is lower than rates in the non-milit
ary population. Providers need to stress regular use and address sched
uling problems and patient beliefs about mammography. The TRA is a use
ful model for screening behavior.