Understanding barriers to participation in mammography by women with disabilities

Purpose. The study purpose was to identify barriers to mammography screening among women with different disabilities and to suggest interventions to address barriers. Methods. Forty-two women with self-reported disabilities, ages 40 to 69 years participated. They resided in 24 Connecticut towns, and most had a prior mammogram. Data were collected through six disability-specific focus groups from women with sensory, physical, psychiatric, and cognitive/intellectual impairments. Facilitator-conducted groups used a semistructured guide. Qualitative analysis applied an iterative coding process to generate themes and categories. Results. We identified four themes (i.e., access, beliefs, social support, and comfort/ accommodations) and nine subthemes that characterized barriers. In all focus groups, women mentioned physical access and physical comfort/accommodations as types of barriers. Other major subthemes were communication and professional support. Women also described mammography facilitators. Despite frequent use of health care and personal strategies to facilitate mammography screening, women with disabilities reported barriers to getting mammograms. Findings suggest a multifaceted approach to address these barriers.