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Fear Keeping Hispanic
Women from Getting Breast Cancer Treatment
The result of a study conducted by Alexander
Miller, M.D., director of surgical oncology, Cancer Therapy and
Research center, San Antonio and Amelie Ramirez, DrPH, associate
professor of medicine, Bayor College of Medicine on 117 Hispanic
women with breast cancer and 78 family members showed that:
| 91% of patients and their families were afraid
of treatment recommendations |
| 81% of women reported an inability to
understand the physician |
| 79% of women reported a bad experience with a
physician |
| 68% of them said they did not believe the
physicians recommendations |
| 64% of patients said they did not understand
English |
| 38% of Hispanic women older than 40 years have
annual breast exam - a figure far below the national average |
| 96% of women reported having a "healthcare
plan" |
| 75% of women said the cost of medical care kept
them from seeing physicians regularly |
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer
death among the Hispanic population. Breast cancer prevalence
is lower though than that reported for whites or African-American
women.
The study findings take on larger significance
in light of the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the
U.S..
" We need to take extra time to explain
the risks of the disease and of not seeking treatment, and help
these women in making decisions about available treatments
options," said Dr Miller.
The results of the study were
presented at the 2003 Clinical Congress of the American college of
Surgeons in October 2003.
Media Blitz Persuades
More Young Latinas to Get Pap Smears
By Becky Ham, Science Writer Health
Behavior News Service
Younger Latina women were more likely to get a
Pap smear after being targeted by community volunteers and an
extended media campaign that urged them to get regular screenings
for breast and cervical cancer, according to new research in the
American Journal of Health Behavior.
Pap smear screening rates increased
significantly among San Antonio Latinas age 40 and younger after the
campaign, compared with rates for Latinas living in Houston, who
were not exposed to the same media messages and community programs.
The screening campaign did not significantly change mammogram
screening rates for any of the women and did not affect Pap smear
screening rates among women older than 40.
Older women were among the least likely to have
been screened for cancer by the end of the study, according to Maria
Eugenia Fernández-Esquer, Ph.D., of the University of Texas-Houston
School of Public Health and colleagues. “The greater impact among
the younger women could be due to increased opportunities for
regular health screening and for gynecological care as part of
regular family planning or other reproductive health needs,” Fernández-Esquer
says. Women who spoke only Spanish, who had little formal education
and who belonged to lower-income families were also less likely to
be screened. These economic and social barriers may have been
particularly difficult for older women to overcome, according to the
researchers. Fernández-Esquer and colleagues designed the community
campaign specifically for Mexican-American women after research
showing that Latina women are less likely to participate in cancer
screening than white women. Screening rates are particularly low
among women who are recent immigrants, who speak only Spanish and
who are older than 40, they note.
The campaign, delivered to Mexican-American
women in urban San Antonio, consisted of screening messages in
print, radio and television in both English and Spanish. Trained
neighborhood volunteers reinforced the message with reminders like
calendars and face-to-face visits to encourage screening
appointments.
The nationally recommended age for a first
mammogram changed from 40 to 50 during the study, which may help
explain why mammogram rates were not significantly affected by the
campaign, say the researchers.
The study was supported by the National Cancer
Institute.
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