RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS THAT PREDICT ATTENDANCE AT A MAMMOGRAPHIC SCREENING-PROGRAM

A random sample of 2266 women aged 50 to 69 years was used to investig ate factors that predict attendance at a free Australian mammographic screening program. The most important predictor was receipt of a perso nal invitation letter. A letter that included an appointment time incr eased attendance 132-fold initially and decreased to 20 times baseline after 14 days. A letter that did not include an appointment time incr eased attendance 12-fold, and a second letter to nonattenders increase d attendance approximately 13-fold. Attendance declined with increasin g distance from the program and with increases in the percentage of no n-English speaking women in a neighborhood, but was higher in areas of higher socioeconomic status.