Consistent with the national recommendation, all programs currently actively encourage 50 to 69 year old women to attend a biennial screening examination. Some programs also screen women aged 40 to 49 and aged 70 and over. Programs still in their expansion phase, such as the newly initiated organized breast cancer screening program in Quebec, predominantly recruit women for their first-ever program screen. Data for the New Brunswick program are incomplete and therefore do not comprehensively reflect program activity. Data for the New Brunswick program are incomplete and therefore do not comprehensively reflect program activity.
Retention rates are indicators of the acceptability of screening to women.
When it is time to return for another routine screening, eligible women are sent a reminder letter asking them to contact the program to set up an appointment. Although they were more likely to return just beyond one year, overall, women aged 40 to 49 were less likely to return to screening programs, which may reflect less intensive targeting through promotional material, mixed policies regarding screening and weaker scientific evidence of the benefits of screening for women in this age group. Some women who were screened in their forties may decide to wait until they reach 50 before obtaining further screening. Evaluated with data from B.C., Alta., Sask., Man. Ont., N.B., and N.S. Data for the New Brunswick program are incomplete and therefore do not comprehensively reflect program activity.