A Comparison of Compliance and Noncompliance in Breast Cancer Screening among African American Women

African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with late stage breast cancer, due in part to low participation in screening procedures. The purpose of this study was to explore the differences among African American women who were compliant and noncompliant with standard mammography screening recommendations. The study participants were African American women (N = 599) over the age of 40 with no history of cancer, who were recruited to attend a local community health event. Findings revealed that 78 percent of the women reported having had a mammogram within the past year, whereas 22 percent had not. The most commonly reported reasons given by those who did not have a mammogram in the past year were that they simply did not think to do so, or that they were not told to do so by their doctor. Women who reported that they did not have a mammogram last year were significantly less likely to have health insurance, to have had a clinical breast exam at their last checkup, to have had their breasts examined by their doctor at least once per year, or to have previously had a mammogram. There were no group differences in the number of visits to a doctor during the past 12 months. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for health care professionals and suggestions for future research.