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Some One-On-One Attention Boosts Chances Of Latinas Getting Screened For Breast Cancer

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research
A patient in the "Latina Initative," a program in Southwest Washington and Oregon that aims to reduce disparities in breast cancer screening. The study in Seattle replicated some of the initiative's practices.

 

A new study shows that some one-on-one attention paid to Latinas can boost the likelihood they will be screened for breast cancer.

For the study, low-income Latinas were visited by a Spanish-speaking health care worker called a "promotora" who provided them with information about getting a mammogram. After the visit, the women received a follow-up phone call, reminding them to make an appointment.

 

The findings show that more than 19 percent of the women who received this one-on-one attention got a mammogram within a year, compared to the 11 percent in the control group.

 

Gloria Coronado, an epidemiologist with Kaiser Permanente based in Portland, was the study’s lead author. Coronado’s goal from the outset was to figure out a way to get more Latinas screened for breast cancer since it is the leading cause of cancer death among this population. There are a variety of reasons why this is the case.

 

“You know, low levels of awareness about the importance of screening, less access to healthcare, and then there is some evidence that there may be some differences in terms of the subtypes of cancer that [Latinas] are more likely to get, meaning that they are more likely to get more aggressive types of breast cancer,” said Coronado.

 

Another grim fact is that Latina woman are 30 percent more likely than white women to be diagnosed with later stages of breast cancer.

 

The woman recruited for the study were all from the Seattle area. Most preferred to speak in Spanish. The majority of them did not have health insurance at the time the data was collected.

 

The study is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Jennifer Wing is a former KNKX reporter and producer who worked on the show Sound Effect and Transmission podcast.