Abstract
To explore the participation rates for breast and colorectal cancer screening and identify associated correlates among elderly women. Logistic regressions were conducted using data collected in 2006 from 1,533 elderly women aged 60 years or above who had completed a screening instrument, the Minimum Data Set-Home Care, while applying for long-term care services at the first time in Hong Kong. The participation rates for breast and colorectal cancer screening among frail older Chinese women were 3.7% and 10.8% respectively. Cognitive status was inversely associated with the likelihood of participation in screening (breast: OR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.47-0.94; colon: OR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.66-0.99), as was educational level with the likelihood of participation in breast cancer screening (no formal education: OR = 0.20, 95%CI = 0.06-0.61, some primary education: OR = 0.31, 95%CI = 0.10-1.00). The delivery of cancer preventive health services to frail older women is less than ideal. Cognitive status and educational level were important factors in cancer screening behaviour. Tailor-made strategic promotion programmes targeting older women with low cognitive status and educational levels are needed to enhance awareness and acceptance within this vulnerable group.
Highlights
Maintaining older women’s health will become a major challenge to health systems (World Health Organisation, 2009)
93.9% of the respondents had at least one chronic disease, their mean activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS) scores were low, and 36% reported being in poor health
Our findings highlighted the importance of cognitive status in the screening participation rates of frail older women applying for long-term care services
Summary
Maintaining older women’s health will become a major challenge to health systems (World Health Organisation, 2009). A number of variables have been reported to affect the likelihood of taking of cancer preventive measures in older adults, including sociodemographic factors such as age, race, marital status, education, financial status, insurance, and access to resources (Heflin et al, 2002; Kosiak et al, 2006; Bolen et al, 2007; Liu et al, 2008; Schonberg Leveille et al 2008; Schonberg York et al, 2008), and health-related factors such as self-rated health status, number of chronic illnesses, and mental and physical health (Messecar, 2000; Heflin et al, 2002; Resnick, 2003; Bolen et al, 2007; Schonberg Leveille et al 2008) None of these studies were conducted in the Western Pacific region, which has far more older people than any other area in the world (WHO, 2003)
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