The Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Cancer Screening Utilization Among Older Women in Latin American and Caribbean Cities

Abstract

To examine the relationship between body mass index and cancer screening utilization, we analyzed data from six cities of the Health, Well-Being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean Study on 5,230 women aged 60 and older, from 1999 to 2000. We found that underweight women were less likely to have had a mammogram, a breast self-exam, and a Pap smear, relative to normal-weight women. However, overweight or obese women were more likely to have a breast self-exam and a Pap smear. Thus, being underweight had a role for decreased cancer screening utilization among older women in Latin American cities, but not being overweight or obese, which was associated with decreased cancer screening in most previous studies.