Abstract C100: Perceptions of breast cancer screening guidelines and intentions for screening: Qualitative commonalities of and differences between Black and White women age 50-75
Authors: Britton Maggie , Housten Ashley J. , Hoover Diana S. , McNeill Lorna H. , Volk Robert J. 
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this investigation was to explore perceptions of Black and White women 50-75 years of age about current breast cancer screening guidelines from three national organizations (National Comprehensive Cancer Network, American Cancer Society, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) and in how these guidelines impact their screening intentions. Non-Hispanic Black (n = 29) and White (n = 28) average risk women were recruited from Houston community sites serving those with low-SES to participate in focus groups. Using questionnaires, women reported on: sociodemographic information, knowledge of screening guidelines, personal history of mammograms, and screening intentions. During the focus groups, participants were presented with the three organizations’ screening guidelines and engaged in discussion on the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening mammography. We used a qualitative descriptive approach with inductive and deductive coding to analyze transcripts of video-recorded focus groups. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize questionnaire data. Participant average age was 65.93 years (SD=7.10). Among Black women, 12 had more than a high school degree and $30k was the median annual household income. Among White women, 25 held higher than high school degree and $60k-$70k was the median income. All women reported receiving a mammogram. Most women also reported they “definitely will be tested” in the next year (Black N=22, White N=21). Qualitative analysis revealed both groups of women expressed they enjoyed learning about the three guidelines but questioned the rationale for guideline development; Black women appeared to do so more strongly, whereas some White women expressed satisfaction with multiple guidelines. Although Black and White women expressed concern for younger generations’ access to screening information, White women expressed additional concern for low resource groups. Both groups expressed mistrust with the healthcare system, yet Black women expressed a desire to receive screening information from providers with whom they have deep and lasting relationships with, whereas White women expressed an interest in seeking information from multiple doctors in a less personal manner. Differences also emerged regarding screening intentions; while Black women expressed renewed motivation to continue screening, White women expressed greater openness to screen with less frequency and with discontinuation. These findings help to inform the ways healthcare providers might effectively customize and communicate screening information to racially/ethnically diverse groups of women. Although both groups of women expressed concerns regarding the guidelines, differences emerged in preferences for communicating and receiving screening information, as well as in the impact on their screening intentions.

Citation Format: Maggie Britton, Ashley J. Housten, Diana S. Hoover, Lorna H. McNeill, Robert J. Volk. Perceptions of breast cancer screening guidelines and intentions for screening: Qualitative commonalities of and differences between Black and White women age 50-75 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C100.