Older Mexican-American women and cancer screening: Progress toward targets for healthy people 2000

Background: Published information about cancer screening in older Mexican-American women is scarce. This study reported the patterns of mammogram and Pap test use among older Mexican-American women. The patterns and associated factors were examined and compared with Healthy People 2000 targets. Methods: Data were obtained from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly, the largest representative survey of community-dwelling Mexican Americans aged 67 years or over, from the southwestern United States. Results: Among older Mexican-American women, 68.3% reported ever having a mammogram, and 41.2% reported having a mammogram in the last two years; 64.0% reported ever having a Pap test, with 43.6% reported having a Pap test in the last three years. Conclusions: The data for older Mexican-American women demonstrated that they approached the targets for breast cancer screening, but not for Pap test use.