Maintaining mammography adherence through telephone counseling in a church-based trial

Objectives. This study assessed the effectiveness of telephone counseling in a church-based mammography promotion intervention trial. Methods. Thirty churches were randomized to telephone counseling and control conditions. telephone interview data were used in assessing intervention effects on mammography adherence. Separate analyses were conducted for baseline-adherent participants (maintaining adherence ) and baseline-nonadherent participants (conversion to adherence). Results. Year 1 follow-up data indicated that the telephone counseling intervention maintained mammography adherence among baseline-adherent participants and reduced the nonadherence rate from 23% to 16%. Conclusions. Partnerships between the public health and faith communities are potentially effective conduits to promote maintenance of widely endorsed health behaviors such as regular cancer screening.