Abstract
BackgroundPopulation-based breast cancer screening programs were implemented to reduce breast cancer mortality and to improve recovery chances. Breast cancer screening participation among migrant women differs from that of autochthonous populations in several European countries. Here we investigate for the first time participation among women of Turkish origin in Germany.MethodsData of five screening units covering 2010 and 2011 as well as associated population registries were analysed. Women of Turkish origin were identified using a name-based algorithm. Participation ratios among women of Turkish origin and odds ratios compared to women of non-Turkish origin were calculated. Analyses were stratified and adjusted for age-groups and screening unit.ResultsA total of 208,500 participants in the five breast screening units were included, out of 423,649 eligible women in the catchment areas (participation 49.2%). Women of Turkish origin have a slightly higher chance to participate in breast cancer screening than women without Turkish origin (OR 1.17; 95% CI: 1.14-1.21). Only women of Turkish origin aged 65–69 years have a lower chance to participate than women without Turkish origin (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.66-0.75).ConclusionIn spite of low participation in preventive measures among migrant populations, the overall breast cancer screening participation among women of Turkish origin in Germany seems to be higher compared to women of non-Turkish origin. Turkish women aged 65 years and above have a lower chance of participation than younger Turkish women. There is need for further research to study factors affecting participation in screening among migrant and non-migrant populations in Germany.
Highlights
Population-based breast cancer screening programs were implemented to reduce breast cancer mortality and to improve recovery chances
After the manual check a total of 9,754 participants (4.7 percent of the total participants) were classified as of Turkish origin and 198,746 as of non-Turkish origin
After the manual check a total of 18,658 women (4.4 percent of the total population) in the eligible age group were classified as of Turkish origin and 404,991 as of nonTurkish origin
Summary
Population-based breast cancer screening programs were implemented to reduce breast cancer mortality and to improve recovery chances. Breast cancer screening participation among migrant women differs from that of autochthonous populations in several European countries. Based on European guidelines, population-based breast cancer screening programs were implemented in most countries to reduce. In Germany, a nationwide population-based breast cancer screening program was implemented from 2005 onwards [4]. Implementation has been completed in 2009 and about 10 million women between the ages of 50 and 69 years are served by 94 screening units. By 2009, more than half (54.4 percent) of the women officially invited participated in the breast cancer screening program (this figure includes some who attended before the automatically generated invitation reached them). There are large regional differences in screening participation: In the federal states of Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein, 45.4 percent of the eligible women attended the screening in 2009 while in Saxony, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, the ratio was over 60 percent [5]
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