PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New study examines patterns of cancer screening in Appalachian women

2014-01-22
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Allison Perry
allison.perry@uky.edu
859-323-2399
University of Kentucky
New study examines patterns of cancer screening in Appalachian women LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 22, 2014) — A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows that women who never or rarely screen for breast cancer are also unlikely to receive screening for cervical cancer. The study also identified four key barriers independently associated with the lack of these cancer screenings in Appalachian women.

Published in Women & Health, the study focused on six rural counties in Appalachian Kentucky. Researchers conducted in-person interviews with 222 women to assess their adherence (or lack thereof) to cancer screening guidelines. While 33 percent of the women had recently been screened for both breast and ovarian cancers, 48 percent were rarely or had never been screened for both.

Through the interviews, the researchers determined four variables that were independently associated with significantly increased odds of never or rarely receiving screenings for breast and cervical cancer: a belief that a Pap test is embarrassing, a belief that the lack of health insurance makes it difficult to obtain a Pap test, a belief that breast cancer screening is unnecessary without symptoms, and reporting no physician recommendation of a mammogram in the prior 12 months.

These patterns of non-screening in Appalachian Kentucky are troubling. The overall cancer mortality rate in Appalachian Kentucky is 17 percent higher than the national rate. Of particular concern are the elevated incidence and mortality rates of invasive cervical cancer in this area, which are 67 percent and 33 percent higher than the national rate.

Additionally, the belief that a breast cancer screening is unnecessary without symptoms is problematic, because often by the time a woman experiences symptoms or has a lump, the cancer is in a more advanced stage. A mammogram performed every 1-2 years for women aged 40 years or older could reduce mortality rates by approximately 20-25 percent over a 10-year period.

"Our study findings reinforce the challenges to screening faced by many vulnerable and underserved women," said Nancy Schoenberg, lead author on the paper and professor of Behavioral Science at the UK College of Medicine. "Whether they experience inadequate knowledge, as shown in this research, or inadequate resources, as shown in other studies, many women find it difficult to obtain optimal preventive health care. Facilitating optimal prevention will reduce the huge toll cancer takes on women, their families and their communities."

An anthropologist by training, Schoenberg is the principal investigator of a series of projects called "Faith Moves Mountains," including "An Appalachian Cervical Cancer Prevention Program," "A CBPR Appalachian Wellness and Cancer Prevention Program," and "An Intergenerational CBPR Intervention to Reduce Appalachian Health Disparities." Started in 2004, these projects aim to target specific health behaviors through "faith-based" interventions, by building relationships with churches within Appalachian communities. This most recent study used a similar faith-based approach by working with local churches in Appalachia to recruit participants.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The unexpected power of baby math

2014-01-22
The unexpected power of baby math Tel Aviv University researcher finds that adults still think about numbers like kids Children understand numbers differently than adults. For kids, one and two seem much further apart then 101 and 102, because two is ...

U-Michigan ecologists: No magic bullet for coffee rust eradication

2014-01-22
U-Michigan ecologists: No magic bullet for coffee rust eradication ANN ARBOR—Spraying fungicide to kill coffee rust disease, which has ravaged Latin American plantations since late 2012, is an approach that is "doomed to failure," according to University of Michigan ...

Health disparities among US African-American and Hispanic men cost economy more than $450 billion

2014-01-22
Health disparities among US African-American and Hispanic men cost economy more than $450 billion Greatest economic burden shouldered by African-American and Hispanic men African-American men incurred $341.8 billion in excess medical ...

UCLA researchers develop risk calculator to predict survival in heart failure patients

2014-01-22
UCLA researchers develop risk calculator to predict survival in heart failure patients A UCLA team has developed an easy-to-use "risk calculator" that helps predict heart failure patients' chances of survival for up to five ...

New CU-Boulder study shows differences in mammal responses to climate change

2014-01-22
New CU-Boulder study shows differences in mammal responses to climate change Shrews 27 times less likely to respond to climate change than moose If you were a shrew snuffling around a North American forest, you would be 27 times ...

Modest familial risks for multiple sclerosis

2014-01-22
Modest familial risks for multiple sclerosis Even though multiple sclerosis is largely caused by genetic factors, the risk of patients' relatives developing the disease is lower than previously assumed. This is the conclusion of a new population registry-based study, ...

Bright star reveals new exoplanet

2014-01-22
Bright star reveals new exoplanet By studying the star around which the planet revolves, they found that the star's rotation appears to be well-aligned with the planetary movement. The object can be well-studied because the star is relatively bright, it can ...

Drug alternatives to antibiotics may not be perfect, study shows

2014-01-22
Drug alternatives to antibiotics may not be perfect, study shows New types of drug intended for use in place of antibiotics have been given a cautious welcome by scientists. Researchers have been probing the long-term effectiveness of drugs currently ...

From a carpet of nanorods to a thin film solar cell absorber within a few seconds

2014-01-22
From a carpet of nanorods to a thin film solar cell absorber within a few seconds This news release is available in German. Research teams at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and at the University of Limerick, ...

Xpert® MTB/RIF assay for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults

2014-01-22
Xpert® MTB/RIF assay for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults A second systematic review of a diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), has confirmed the accuracy of the test. The updated ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Who does Darth Vader vote for? Not the same party as Harry Potter

Ground breaking advances in construction robotics in extreme environments unveiled in review

New strategies to enhance chiral optical signals unveiled

Cambridge research uncovers powerful virtual reality treatment for speech anxiety

2025 Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit to spotlight groundbreaking research

International survey finds that support for climate interventions is tied to being hopeful and worried about climate change

Cambridge scientist launches free VR platform that eliminates the fear of public speaking

Open-Source AI matches top proprietary model in solving tough medical cases

Good fences make good neighbors (with carnivores)

NRG Oncology trial supports radiotherapy alone following radical hysterectomy should remain the standard of care for early-stage, intermediate-risk cervical cancer

Introducing our new cohort of AGA Future Leaders

Sharks are dying at alarming rates, mostly due to fishing. Retention bans may help

Engineering excellence: Engineers with ONR ties elected to renowned scientific academy

New CRISPR-based diagnostic test detects pathogens in blood without amplification

Immunotherapy may boost KRAS-targeted therapy in pancreatic cancer

Growing solar: Optimizing agrivoltaic systems for crops and clean energy

Scientists discover how to reactivate cancer’s molecular “kill switch”

YouTube influencers: gaming’s best friend or worst enemy?

uOttawa scientists use light to unlock secret of atoms

NJIT mathematician to help map Earth's last frontier with Navy grant

NASA atmospheric wave-studying mission releases data from first 3,000 orbits

‘Microlightning’ in water droplets may have sparked life on Earth

Smoke from wildland-urban interface fires more deadly than remote wildfires

What’s your body really worth? New AI model reveals your true biological age from 5 drops of blood

Protein accidentally lassos itself, helping explain unusual refolding behavior

With bird flu in raw milk, many in U.S. still do not know risks of consuming it

University of Minnesota research team awarded $3.8 million grant to develop cell therapy to combat Alzheimer’s disease

UConn uncovers new clue on what is leading to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS

Resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – it’s how quickly it is done, rather than who does it

A closer look at biomolecular ‘silly putty’

[Press-News.org] New study examines patterns of cancer screening in Appalachian women