Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Rates of Subgroups of Asian American Women in California

Abstract

Although breast and cervical cancer screening rates for Asian American (AA) women are the lowest of any ethnic group in California, few causes for this are known. The authors used the 2001 California Health Interview Survey, conducted in five Asian languages, to conduct the first evaluation of Pap and mammography screening rates for a representative sample of 2,239 AA women. Wide variations in screening rates were found among the seven different subgroups of AA women studied: adjusted Pap test use ranged from 81% (Filipina Americans) to 61% (Vietnamese Americans). Mammography rates ranged from 78% (Japanese Americans) to 53% (Korean Americans). Disaggregating the AA data and using separate multivariate logistic regressions revealed that different factors were independently associated with the low screening rates for each subgroup. The measurement of additional contextual information is needed to identify structural barriers and community resources to provide clearer guidance for the design of effective screening promotion programs for AA subpopulations.

Colorectal cancer screening disparities in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: which groups are most vulnerable?

“…Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (Andersen 1995) has been frequently used as a theoretical framework for understanding why people use health care services such as cancer screening and for informing efforts to promote desired health behavior (Ganz et al 2003, Honda 2004, Leong-Wu and Fernandez 2006, Kagawa-Singer et al 2007. This model posits that the utilization of health care services is a function of a predisposition to use those services, the ability to secure those services, and the need for those services (Andersen 1995).…”

“…It was not until the late 1990s that studies began to examine the cancer screening behaviors of Asian American constituent subgroups (Kagawa-Singer andPourat 2000, Maxwell et al 2000). Recent research on disaggregated AAPI subgroups reveals disparity in CRC screening rates.…”

Disparities in Cervical Cancer Screening between Asian American and Non-Hispanic White Women

“…Nevertheless, the screening rates shown in this study are similar to the national, population-based reports (i.e., 80% for Whites and 68% for Asians; refs. 22,23). Second, because of the limited number of Asian respondents, we were not able to conduct analyses stratified by subgroups.…”

Comparing Selected Measures of Health Outcomes and Health-Seeking Behaviors in Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese Communities of Chicago: Results from Local Health Surveys

“…When compared to specific Asian subgroups from other geographic areas, smoking rates in the Chicago communities were better, 11,21,22 positive skin tests for tuberculosis were comparable, 23 and cancerscreening utilization was far worse. 21,24 Survey data also indicate that the health data for US Asians are inadequate to reveal the health of Asian subgroups in smaller geographic areas. Although some indicators among the three Asian subgroups surveyed were similar to US Asian estimates, there was substantial variation among the populations and US Asian estimates, adding to the growing number of studies advocating for disaggregated data.…”