ASPO Abstracts
Korean American Women Engage in Medical Tourism for Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening
Category: Cancer Health Disparities, Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2018
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Breast and cervical cancer screening among Korean American (KA) women remain low. Research on KAs show some KAs may be engaging in medical tourism and receiving care in their home country. The impact of medical tourism on breast and cervical cancer screening among KAs is unknown. The purpose of this study was to 1) examine the association between medical tourism and breast and cervical cancer screening and 2) characterize KA women who engage in medical tourism. Methods: This was a community-based, cross-sectional study involving self-administered questionnaires conducted from August 2013 to October 2013. Data were collected on 181 KA women, ages 50-74, residing in the Seattle metropolitan area. The outcome variables were up-to-date with screening for breast cancer (having had a mammogram within the last two years) and cervical cancer (having had a Pap test within the last three years). Factors were socio-demographics, healthcare, acculturation, worries about medical care costs, and medical tourism. Multi-variate analyses were conducted using logistic regressions. Results: Participants’ mean (SD) age was 66 (12). More than half were married (53%), had at least a high school education (59%), were uninsured (56%), and were working (part-, full-time, and self-employed). About one third of the participants (35%) reported that they had traveled to Korea for healthcare, 2-3 times within the past five years. In multi-variate modeling, participants who engaged in medical tourism had 5.2 (95% CI: 1.5 —22) greater odds of being up-to-date with screening for breast cancer and 8.1 (95% CI: 1.6-68.5) greater odds of being up-to-date for cervical cancer compared to those who did not engage in medical tourism. Participants who engaged in medical tourism had higher levels of education (p = 0.01), older age of immigration with 43 years (12) vs. 36 (12) (p = 0.01), and shorter years-of-stay in the US with 18 years (10) vs. 25 (11) (p = 0.003). Conclusions: KA women in the Seattle metropolitan area report engaging in medical tourism. Engagement in medical tourism was associated with being up-to-date with screening for breast and cervical cancers. Future research should examine the underlying reasons on why KA women tend to seek screening abroad.
Keywords: Breast and cervical cancer screening, Korean American women, Medical tourism