An intervention to increase breast and cervical cancer screening in low income African-American women

Abstract

Although early screening and treatment are effective against breast and cervical cancer, screening remains far below the National Cancer Institute goals for the year 2000. Furthermore, the disenfranchised are often least screened. In response, an intervention was designed to increase the proportion of poor African-American women receiving Pap smears, breast examinations, and mammograms. The proportion of women who received Pap smears rose from 12% at baseline to 26% after the intervention, the proportion receiving breast examinations rose from 6% to 18%, and the proportion receiving mammograms rose from 3% to 11%. Screening proportions decreased in the control group.