CANCER INFORMATION SERVICE-INITIATED OUTCALLS TO PROMOTE SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY AMONG LOW-INCOME AND MINORITY WOMEN - DESIGN AND FEASIBILITYTESTING

Background The telephone information service of the Cancer Information Service (CIS) historically is most effective in eliciting calls from higher income, white women. This article describes the design and feas ibility of a project that tested the use of telephone outcalls to exte nd the reach of the telephone information service to underserved women . Methods. Neighborhoods throughout Colorado were identified using a g eodemographic database (INFORUM) that allowed selection of census bloc k groups according to demographic characteristics. Households were ass igned randomly to: (1) a control group; (2) an outcall-only group, whi ch received ''cold'' telephone outcalls promoting screening mammograph y; and (3) an advance card plus outcall group, which received a card i ntroducing the program prior to the outcall. Results. The use of INFOR UM to target low-income, less educated, and black women was largely su ccessful. While quality of intervention delivery was high, the protoco l was labor intensive, requiring an average of 40 min to identify and counsel each eligible woman. The advance card did not increase accepta nce of the outcalls. Conclusions. This approach successfully extended the CIS's audience; however, its labor intensity may limit its applica bility. Strategies for increasing the efficiency of outcall efforts ar e suggested. (C) 1998 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.