Background: Low-income, minority, and inner city women have breast cancer screening rates that are below those of the general population.
Methods: The authors surveyed women who received primary care at Seattle's county hospital about their mammography behaviors in early 1995. Data were analyzed within the context of the PRECEDE framework.
Results: Only half (48%) of the women were obtaining regular screening. Breast cancer and mammography beliefs differed by racial group. The following factors differentiated between inner-city women who were and were not regular users: mammography beliefs concerning early detection of disease, pressure from the machine causing breast cancer, and cost (these were less important among white women than members of other racial groups); previous physician discussions, concerns about appointment scheduling, and transportation problems; and social support from physicians, family, and friends.
Conclusion: Interventions to encourage regular screening among inner-city women should address predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors.