Asian Indian women: Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward breast cancer early detection

Education programs have been developed to promote adherence to recommended breast cancer screening guidelines. Few studies have assessed the degree to which ethnic subgroups are perceiving and acting on the proffered informat ion. Such assessment is vital to the creation of efficient public health in terventions. This paper describes the reported breast cancer knowledge, att itudes, and screening behaviors of 194 American Asian Indian women. While m onthly breast self exam adherence was low, only 40.7%, 61.3% of women 40 an d older, and 70% of women 50 and older, reported having had a mammogram wit hin the past 12 months. These rates for annual mammography screening are hi gh relative to many other ethnic groups. While the results are encouraging, the respondents may not be representative of all Asian Indian women. The m ajority of these women reported that their breast cancer knowledge is inade quate. They were willing to be called upon to share with others any knowled ge they gained. There is a clear opportunity for public health nurses to pr ovide Asian Indian women with a more comprehensive understanding of breast health and disease. Those women can then share their health knowledge with other women within their ethnic group.