Barriers and facilitators related to mammography use among lower educated Mexican women in the USA

This study explores barriers to and facilitators of breast cancer screening and how people in a woman's social network influence these screening behaviors. A total of 40 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted in rural Washington State (USA) among Mexican women aged 50 and over. Eligible women reported either having had a mammogram within the last two years, over two years ago, or never. We found that lack of health insurance, the perception that the mammogram is painful, and fear of finding cancer were cited as barriers to participation in mammography screening. Women who had lived in the US for a shorter period were more likely to report never having had a mammogram than women who had lived in the US for a longer period. Women often cited daughters and female friends as those from whom they received advice or encouragement to receive a mammogram. Few differences were found related to network size and mammography use among the groups. These findings may be useful in designing interventions to promote mammography use. Including daughters in intervention activities may help facilitate mammography use among Mexican women. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.