Immigrant Women's Cancer Screening Behaviors

Abstract

Objectives: Investigate the relationship between the dependent variable health outcome (perceived health status) and the independent variables population characteristics, (predisposing, which includes age, acculturation, months in the United States; enabling, which includes availability of medical insurance) and health behavior (personal health practices, which includes engaging in cancer screening of mammography, Pap smear, and breast self-exam) among immigrant women from the former Soviet Union. Design: Descriptive correlational design was used with Andersen's Behavioral Model as the conceptual framework. Sample: Convenience sample of 99 women, 18 years of age and older, was obtained from a community center. Measures: Demographic Information for Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union Survey (DIFSU) and Language, Identity, and Behavior Acculturation Survey (LIB) were used to collect data. Results: Younger women were more likely to have a Pap smear and consider their health status as good or excellent; those with better English language skills were more likely to conduct breast self-exam but considered their health status as poor or fair; having insurance was positively correlated with having a Pap smear; the longer women were in the United States, the more likely they were to receive a mammogram. The model indicated that age and language acculturation significantly predicted health status. Conclusion: Given the incidence of breast cancer in the United States, the results highlight women in need of interventions to help them understand the value of cancer screening behaviors.