Pap smear screening rates increased significantly among San Antonio Latinas
age 40 and younger after the campaign, compared with rates for Latinas
living in Houston, who were not exposed to the same media messages and
community programs.
The screening campaign did not significantly change mammogram screening
rates for any of the women and did not affect Pap smear screening rates
among women older than 40.
Older women were among the least likely to have been screened
for cancer by the end of the study, according to Maria Eugenia Fernández-Esquer,
Ph.D., of the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health and
colleagues.
“The greater impact among the younger women could be due to increased
opportunities for regular health screening and for gynecological care as
part of regular family planning or other reproductive health needs,” Fernández-Esquer
says.
Women who spoke only Spanish, who had little formal education and who
belonged to lower-income families were also less likely to be screened.
These economic and social barriers may have been particularly difficult
for older women to overcome, according to the researchers.
Fernández-Esquer and colleagues designed the community
campaign specifically for Mexican-American women after research showing
that Latina
women are less likely to participate in cancer screening than white women.
Screening rates are particularly low among women who are recent immigrants,
who speak only Spanish and who are older than 40, they note.
The campaign, delivered to Mexican-American women in urban San Antonio,
consisted of screening messages in print, radio and television in both
English and Spanish. Trained neighborhood volunteers reinforced the message
with reminders like calendars and face-to-face visits to encourage screening
appointments.
The nationally recommended age for a first mammogram changed from 40 to
50 during the study, which may help explain why mammogram rates were not
significantly affected by the campaign, say the researchers.
The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute.
