A HEALTH PRIORITIES MODEL - APPLICATION TO MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING

This study describes and empirically tests a health priorities model. This model predicts underuse of regular mammography screening among ad ult women within the larger health context in which such decisions are made. The model incorporates women's comparative illness threats, com parative importance of health behaviors, and demographic variables. A telephone survey was conducted with a sample of women (N = 887) older than 50, in 40 rural communities in the state of Washington. Logistic regression analyses showed that women who perceived themselves at low risk for getting breast cancer and/or who perceived another disease(i. e. heart attack) as an equal or greater threat than breast cancer were less likely to be regular screeners of mammography. In addition, wome n who perceived other health behaviors as more important than regular mammography screening were less likely to be regular screeners than th ose women who perceived regular mammography screening as more importan t. Current or anticipated health problems were not related to screenin g behavior. The results are discussed in light of the practical, theor etical, and empirical implications.