Abstract B95: Disparities in receiving clinical breast examination for early detection of breast cancer among women aged 18 years and over in the United States
Authors: Charles Mikayla Y. , Gerbi Gemechu B. , Archie-Booker Elaine , Miles-Richardson Stephanie 
Published: May 2016

Background: According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. The ACS recommends that women ≥ 20 years should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of their regular health exam by a health professional, at least every three years. . CBEs can help detect breast abnormalities that could possibly lead to breast cancer. This study examined factors significantly associated with disparities in receiving CBEs among women ≥ 18 years in the United States.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System BRFSS, an ongoing, state-based, random-digit–dialed telephone survey of non-institutionalized adults aged ≥18 years residing in the United States. We performed univariate analysis to describe the frequency and proportion of select characteristics (demographic, socioeconomic, and region of residence). A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for factors associated with disparities in receiving CBEs. Analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.2.

Results: Of the 272,752 women, 247,566 had a CBE. Of these, 44% were non-Hispanic white, 41 % were in the age group 45-64 years, 36% had a high school education or less, 29% had annual household income less than or equal to $25,000, and 24% resided in Midwest. Multivariable analysis show that being Hispanic or Latino (aOR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.56-0.64), Asian (aOR 0.17, 95% CI: 0.15-0.20), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (aOR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.40-0.97), American Indian or Alaska Native (aOR 0.72, 95% CI: 0.63-0.82), and being age 75 years and above (aOR 0.85, 95% CI: 0.80-0.90) significantly reduced the likelihood of receiving CBEs. Our adjusted analyses also demonstrated that the following factors increased the likelihood of receiving CBE: being non-Hispanic White (aOR 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06-1.18), in the age group 45-64 years (aOR 2.00, 95% CI: 1.92-2.09), 65-74 years (aOR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.47-1.62), with some college education (aOR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.58-1.70), having a college degree (aOR 2.22, 95% CI: 2.13-2.32), having higher income and and being a respondant from the Northeast.

Conclusion: Socio-demographic factors and region of residence were significantly associated with disparities in receiving CBE among women aged ≥ 18 years in the United States. Screening policies should focus on high-risk populations that are less likely to get screened for breast cancer by trained health care providers.

Citation Format: Mikayla Y. Charles, Gemechu B. Gerbi, Elaine Archie-Booker, Stephanie Miles-Richardson. Disparities in receiving clinical breast examination for early detection of breast cancer among women aged 18 years and over in the United States. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B95.