Most active recruitment strategies for breast cancer screening programs examined in this review were more effective than no intervention. Combinations of effective interventions can have an important effect. Some costly strategies, as a home visit and a letter of invitation to multiple screening examinations plus educational material, were not effective. Further reviews comparing the effective interventions and studies that include cost-effectiveness, women's satisfaction and equity issues are needed.
Can the uptake of breast screening by Asian women be increased? A randomized controlled trial of a linkworker intervention.
This study investigates the effectiveness of a linkworker intervention, giving encouragement and explanations about breast screening, on the subsequent attendance for screening by 'Asian' women. The control group received no visits. The study population comprised all women with Asian names, from a batch of general practices where high proportions of patients were Asian, who were invited for screening. It was found that 59 per cent of the intervention group could be contacted by linkworkers. No difference in attendance was found between the intervention and control groups (49 per cent and 47 per cent). Twenty-five per cent of women were permanently or temporarily not resident at the invitation address. Attendance for screening was related to length of stay in the United Kingdom. This type of intervention was not a successful strategy for promoting uptake by Asian women, and indicates that it is essential to evaluate rigorously projects with such objectives.