ASPO Abstracts
So When Should We Be Screened? Knowledge of Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines among Low-Income Women in New Jersey
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2020
Abstract Body:
Breast and cervical cancer screening guidelines vary across agencies and have changed over the past decade,
which may be confusing for the general population. Thus, we sought to assess knowledge of breast and cervical
cancer screening guidelines among racially-diverse low-income women in New Jersey using a cross-sectional
study design (n=459). Participants believed, on average, that women should have their first Pap test at 19.4yrs
(SD + 5.8, range 12-45), compared to the current recommendation that screening begin at age 21 (p<.001); and
their first mammogram at 29.8yrs (SD + 19.9, range 13-50), well below the current recommendation that
screening begin between ages 40-50 (p<.001). Black women tended to believe that women should initiate
screening earlier for both Pap testing (17.8yrs vs guidelines, p<.05) and mammography (27.4yrs vs. guidelines,
p<.001). In contrast with current recommendations, only 1% reporting that screening should happen every 3
years with 27% stating Pap Testing should happen every 6 months. Additionally, less than 93% of women either
stated “no” or “not sure” when asked if there is an age when women can stop getting Pap tests? Overall, our
findings suggest a need to improve how we communicate cancer screening guidelines to low-income women,
particularly low-income women of color. These results indicate that, Given the association between low-income,
health literacy, and healthcare utilization and cancer outcomes, we need practitioners and clinicians who have
training in health education and expertise in health equity/culturally reflective practice.
Keywords: Cancer screening, Cancer health communication