Mobile Mammography Participation Among Medically Underserved Women: A Systematic Review

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Vang, Suzanne ; Margolies, Laurie R. ; Jandorf, Lina
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  Although breast cancer deaths have declined, the mortality rate among women from medically underserved communities is disproportionally high. Screening mammography is the most effective tool for detecting breast cancer in its early stages, yet many women from medically underserved communities do not have adequate access to screening mammograms. Mobile mammography may be able to bridge this gap by providing screening mammograms at no cost or low cost and delivering services to women in their own neighborhoods, thus eliminating cost and transportation barriers. The objective of this systematic review was to describe the scope and impact of mobile mammography programs in promoting mammographic screening participation among medically underserved women.
  
  Methods
  
  We searched electronic databases for English-language articles published in the United States from January 2010 through March 2018 by using the terms “mobile health unit,” “mammogram,” “mammography,” and “breast cancer screening.” Of the 93 articles initially identified, we screened 55; 16 were eligible to be assessed and 10 qualified for full text review and data extraction. Each study was coded for study purpose, research design, data collection, population targeted, location, sample size, outcomes, predictors, analytical methods, and findings.
  
  Results
  
  Of the 10 studies that qualified for review, 4 compared mobile mammography users with users of fixed units, and the other 6 characterized mobile mammography users only. All the mobile mammography units included reached underserved women. Most of the women screened in mobile units were African American or Latina, low income, and/or uninsured. Mobile mammography users reported low adherence to 1-year (12%–34%) and 2-year (40%–48%) screening guidelines. Some difficulties faced by mobile clinics were patient retention, patient follow-up of abnormal or inconclusive findings, and women inaccurately perceiving their breast cancer risk.
  
  Conclusion
  
  Mobile mammography clinics may be effective at reaching medically underserved women. Adding patient navigation to mobile mammography programs may promote attendance at mobile sites and increase follow-up adherence. Efforts to promote mammographic screening should target women from racial/ethnic minority groups, women from low-income households, and uninsured women. Future research is needed to understand how to best improve visits to mobile mammography clinics.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Age Distribution Breast Neoplasms Female Health Behavior Health Services Accessibility Health Status Disparities Humans Mammography Mass Screening Medically Underserved Area Mobile Health Units Risk Assessment Systematic Review Vulnerable Populations

  More +
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 15
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd15.180291
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Pubmed ID:
  30447104
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC6266518
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  15
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7eeb57e516ec76e66f71442cad0708d1be4236c48ab5fc2604e5414173db949d373a06588083cef2bc168eb952119655d44273959e11a6f75eeb8218e9dfa5ef
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/61735/cdc_61735_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 389.19 KB ]