Demographic predictors of cancer screening among Filipino and Korean immigrants in the United States

Background: Little is known about cancer-screening practices of various Asi an subgroups, and even less is known about factors that may predict screeni ng in these populations. Design: Two independent surveys were conducted with 218 Filipino and 229 Ko rean female immigrants, aged 50 years and older, residing in Los Angeles. Results: In these convenience samples, 48% of Filipino and 41% of Korean wo men reported receipt of a Pap smear within the past 2 years; 48 % of Filipi no and 25% of Korean women reported receipt of a mammogram and a clinical b reast exam within the past 2 years; and 25% of Filipino and 38% of Korean w omen reported colorectal cancer screening (blood stool test within the past 12 months or sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy within the past 5 years). Only 14% of Filipino and 10% of Korean women were adherent to cancer-screening guide lines for all three sites. These differences in screening rates were statis tically significant in multivariate analyses of the combined sample, contro lling for all demographic characteristics, including age, percent of lifeti me in the United States, education, marital status, health insurance, emplo yment, and ethnicity. The two variables that were most consistently indepen dently associated with adherence to cancer screening in both samples were h igher percentage of lifetime spent in the United States and ever having had a checkup when no symptoms were present. Conclusions: These two variables-percent of lifetime in the United States a nd ever having had a checkup when no symptoms were present-can alert a phys ician that cancer-screening tests may be overdue among Korean and Filipino immigrants in the United States. Future research should identify predictors of cancer screening among other Asian immigrant groups and U.S.-born Asian women to assist in targeting intervention efforts.