Abstract 983: United States (US)-Mexico border Latinas: Breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, and factors associated with early detection practices
Authors: Banegas Matthew P. , Bird Yelena , Moraros John , Moralez Ernesto A. , Thompson Beti 
Published: February 2011

Background: Evidence suggests Latinas residing along the US-Mexico border face higher breast cancer (BC) mortality rates compared to Latinas in the interior of either country. Due to similarities in these populations, risk factors associated with BC may be unique to Latinas along the US-Mexico border.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe early detection practices (EDP), BC knowledge, and attitudes among US Latina and Mexican women age 40 and older living along the US-Mexico border, and to identify factors associated with EDP in this population.

Methods: For this binational cross-sectional study, 265 participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire that obtained information on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, family history, and EDP. Differences between Mexican (n=128) and US Latina (n=137) participants were assessed by Pearson's χ2, Fischer's Exact test, t-tests, and multivariate regression analyses.

Results: US Latinas had significantly increased odds of having ever received a mammogram/breast ultrasound (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.81) and clinical breast exam (OR = 2.98) compared to their Mexican counterparts. Mexican women had significantly higher levels of BC knowledge (Knowledge Score (KS) = 0.84) compared to US Latinas (KS = 0.77, p&lt;.05), although Mexican women were more likely to report that they did not need to worry about BC at their age (p &lt; 0.05). Age, education, insurance, and KS were significantly associated with EDP among participants.

Conclusion: Mexican women residing along the US-Mexico border are not receiving the recommended BC screening procedures, despite having high levels of BC knowledge. Further research is needed to examine other factors of EDP, and ultimately poorer survival rates, among US-Mexico border Latinas.Table 1.Results of multivariate regressiona Mammography/Breast UltrasoundClinical Breast ExamBreast Self ExamVariablebOR (95% CI)OR (95% CI)OR (95% CI)US Latina3.69 (1.61-8.48)d3.41 (1.44-8.12)d1.68 (0.68-4.17)Family History1.52 (0.72-3.22)0.79 (0.39-1.62)1.31 (0.62-2.79)Age1.07 (1.02-1.13)d1.04 (0.99-1.09)0.91 (0.87-0.96)dEducation1.12 (1.01-1.24)c1.14 (1.03-1.28)c1.21 (1.08-1.37)dIncome1.00 (0.99-1.00)1.00 (0.99-1.00)1.00 (0.99-1.00)Marital Status   Married/Living w/ Intimate Partner---Single/Never Married0.79 (0.30-2.08)2.42 (0.72-8.12)1.50 (0.41-5.45)Divorced/Widowed/ Separated1.03 (0.42-2.55)0.64 (0.25-1.63)0.28 (0.10-0.77)cInsurance2.08 (1.04-.4.16)c2.83 (1.39-5.75)d12.3 (4.43-34.4)dKnowledge Score24.0 (3.30-175.5)d3.89 (0.53-28.5)1.39 (0.17-11.0)a Results are adjusted odds ratios; bAll variables adjusted for the remaining covariates; c p &lt; 0.05; d p &lt; 0.01

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 983.