Breast Cancer Screening Practices by Vietnamese Women

Abstract

Although there has been an increase in research to identify factors associated with breast cancer screening in the general population, documentation to characterize breast cancer screening practices among Asian women is lacking. To learn more about the extent to which socioeconomic features, attitudes and beliefs about breast cancer screening, and certain acculturation factors influence breast cancer screening use, a telephone survey was conducted of Vietnamese women ages 18–-65 (n = 141). One half of the respondents (50.4%) had ever had a clinical breast examination (CBE), and 35.5% had had a CBE in the past year. For women 40 or older, 64.9% of the respondents had ever had a mammogram. Among the features assessed, age, income, length of residence in the United States, and marital status were important determinants of previous CBE. Length of residence, sociocultural preference, age, and regular place for care were important predictors of prior mammography experience. These findings emphasize the importance of the respondents' length of residence in the United States in influencing the use of breast cancer screening. Implications for developing cancer prevention activities to establish the appropriate use of breast cancer screening for Vietnamese and other Asian women are discussed.