Abstract
Objective: Screening mammography is associated with reduced breast cancer-specific mortality; however, among older women, evidence suggests that the potential harms of screening may outweigh the benefits. We used a qualitative approach to examine the willingness of older women from different racial/ethnic groups to discontinue breast cancer screening. Methods: Women ≥70 years of age who reported having a screening mammogram in the past 3 years and/or reported that they intended to continue screening in the future were recruited for in-depth interviews. Participants who intended to continue screening were asked to describe how the following hypothetical scenarios would impact a decision to discontinue screening: health concerns or limited life expectancy, a physician's recommendation to discontinue, reluctance to undergo treatment, and recommendations from experts or governmental panels to stop screening. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were audio-recorded. Data coding and analysis followed inductive and deductive approaches. Results: Regardless of the scenario, participants (n = 29) expressed a strong intention to continue screening. Based on the hypothetical physician recommendations, intentions to continue screening appeared to remain strong. They did not envision a change in their health status that would lead them to discontinue screening and were skeptical of expert/government recommendations. There were no differences observed according to age, race/ethnicity, or education. Conclusions: Among older women who planned to continue screening, intentions to continue breast cancer screening appear to be highly resilient and resistant to recommendations from physicians or expert/government panels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Psycho-Oncology |
| DOIs | |
| State | Accepted/In press - Jan 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- Aged
- Breast
- Cancer
- Cancer
- Cultural diversity
- Early detection of cancer
- Oncology
- Qualitative
- Race/ethnicity
- Women
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Oncology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Resistance to discontinuing breast cancer screening in older women : A qualitative study. / Housten, Ashley J.; Pappadis, Monique; Krishnan, Shilpa; Weller, Susan; Giordano, Sharon H.; Bevers, Therese B.; Volk, Robert J.; Hoover, Diana S.
In: Psycho-Oncology, 01.01.2018.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Resistance to discontinuing breast cancer screening in older women
T2 - A qualitative study
AU - Housten, Ashley J.
AU - Pappadis, Monique
AU - Krishnan, Shilpa
AU - Weller, Susan
AU - Giordano, Sharon H.
AU - Bevers, Therese B.
AU - Volk, Robert J.
AU - Hoover, Diana S.
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Objective: Screening mammography is associated with reduced breast cancer-specific mortality; however, among older women, evidence suggests that the potential harms of screening may outweigh the benefits. We used a qualitative approach to examine the willingness of older women from different racial/ethnic groups to discontinue breast cancer screening. Methods: Women ≥70 years of age who reported having a screening mammogram in the past 3 years and/or reported that they intended to continue screening in the future were recruited for in-depth interviews. Participants who intended to continue screening were asked to describe how the following hypothetical scenarios would impact a decision to discontinue screening: health concerns or limited life expectancy, a physician's recommendation to discontinue, reluctance to undergo treatment, and recommendations from experts or governmental panels to stop screening. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were audio-recorded. Data coding and analysis followed inductive and deductive approaches. Results: Regardless of the scenario, participants (n = 29) expressed a strong intention to continue screening. Based on the hypothetical physician recommendations, intentions to continue screening appeared to remain strong. They did not envision a change in their health status that would lead them to discontinue screening and were skeptical of expert/government recommendations. There were no differences observed according to age, race/ethnicity, or education. Conclusions: Among older women who planned to continue screening, intentions to continue breast cancer screening appear to be highly resilient and resistant to recommendations from physicians or expert/government panels.
AB - Objective: Screening mammography is associated with reduced breast cancer-specific mortality; however, among older women, evidence suggests that the potential harms of screening may outweigh the benefits. We used a qualitative approach to examine the willingness of older women from different racial/ethnic groups to discontinue breast cancer screening. Methods: Women ≥70 years of age who reported having a screening mammogram in the past 3 years and/or reported that they intended to continue screening in the future were recruited for in-depth interviews. Participants who intended to continue screening were asked to describe how the following hypothetical scenarios would impact a decision to discontinue screening: health concerns or limited life expectancy, a physician's recommendation to discontinue, reluctance to undergo treatment, and recommendations from experts or governmental panels to stop screening. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were audio-recorded. Data coding and analysis followed inductive and deductive approaches. Results: Regardless of the scenario, participants (n = 29) expressed a strong intention to continue screening. Based on the hypothetical physician recommendations, intentions to continue screening appeared to remain strong. They did not envision a change in their health status that would lead them to discontinue screening and were skeptical of expert/government recommendations. There were no differences observed according to age, race/ethnicity, or education. Conclusions: Among older women who planned to continue screening, intentions to continue breast cancer screening appear to be highly resilient and resistant to recommendations from physicians or expert/government panels.
KW - Aged
KW - Breast
KW - Cancer
KW - Cancer
KW - Cultural diversity
KW - Early detection of cancer
KW - Oncology
KW - Qualitative
KW - Race/ethnicity
KW - Women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045700363&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85045700363&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/pon.4708
DO - 10.1002/pon.4708
M3 - Article
JO - Psycho-Oncology
JF - Psycho-Oncology
SN - 1057-9249
ER -