Breast Cancer Screening among American Samoan Women

Health Risks, Chronic Diseases, and Access to Care Among US Pacific Islanders

“…10 To date, disparity studies and interventions in the US have largely focused on cancer screening and prevention in both Pacific Islander and Asian American communities. 9,[11][12][13][14] While these may continue to be important disparities in these groups, increased recognition of the linked epidemics of obesity and diabetes in Pacific Islanders, similar to that in many nations across the Pacific where these communities originate, 15,16 underscores the need for interventions aimed at reducing these specific Pacific Islander disparities in the US. In particular our finding that BMI, but not smoking, largely mediates the differences in reporting chronic diseases between Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans highlights the specific disparitypromoting impact that obesity may have for Pacific Islanders in the US.…”

Impact of traditional Samoan lifestyle (fa’aSamoa) on cancer screening practices

“…Recent research has pointed out the need for improved cancer control programs for American Samoans (4). Many Samoans do not believe that there is much one can do to prevent cancer (4), and they have low use of recommended cancer screening services (5,6). Complicating matters, until recently there were no culturally appropriate cancer education materials in the Samoan language made available to this population (7).…”

Results of a Randomized Trial to Increase Mammogram Usage among Samoan Women

“…Territory of American Samoa, are one such minority population. Regional surveys among Samoan women have documented disturbingly low rates of mammography use within the prior year, with rates of 22.4% and 24.4% for Samoan women 40 years and older residing in Hawaii and Los Angeles, respectively (4). In comparison, based on the 2000 National Health Interview Survey (2), rates of screening mammogram receipt within the prior 2 years by women 40 years and older ranged from 52.1% for American Indian/Alaska Native to 72.0% for non-Hispanic White.…”

“…Moreover, they have serious gaps in knowledge about breast cancer risk factors and harbor misconceptions regarding the cancer's signs and symptoms (7,8). In addition, in regional surveys, 42% of Samoan women 40 years and older had never heard about mammography (4). For Samoan women, important predictors for obtaining a mammogram include access to care (4), knowledge about risk factors (9) and screening guidelines (4), psychosocial factors (9), and culture-specific beliefs (9).…”