Health-oriented behaviors: Their implication in attending for breast cancer screening

Objective: To assess the implication of health-oriented behavior and state of health variables estimated to influence women's participation in a breas t cancer screening program. Methods: A sample of 512 participants and 196 n onparticipants was taken from a total of 60,908 women between 45 and 65 yea rs of age. Results: There are significant differences in women's perception of their knowledge of breast cancer, estimated prognosis, and reasons for not performing self-examination.The nonparticipant group reports more healt h problems. Conclusion: The study assesses the relative contribution of the se variables to participation levels, although further empirical testing of all these issues is recommended.