An Intervention to Increase Mammography Use by Korean American Women

Purpose/Objectives: To test the effectiveness of a community-based intervention to increase mammography screening for Korean American women.

Design: Quasi-experimental, pre-/post-test, three-group design.

Setting: Urban Korean American communities in Southern California.

Sample: 141 Korean American women, aged 40-75, who had not had a mammogram in the previous 12 months.

Method: Two Korean churches were selected randomly to be study sites that would provide health screening programs. The study included an experimental group that would have access to a peer-group educational program and low-cost mammography, a group that would have access to low-cost mammography alone, and a control group. Participant-focused strategies were used to involve Korean American women from the community.

Main Research Variables: Mammography use, breast cancer screening attitudes, and knowledge.

Findings: Women in the experimental program had significantly improved attitudes and knowledge about breast cancer screening. Mammography use in the experimental group (87%) was not significantly different from that in the mammography-access-only group (72%). Both interventions proved to be more effective than no intervention at all (control group = 47%).

Conclusions: An educational program that includes participant-focused research strategies and access to low-cost mammograms resulted in higher levels of screening.

Implications for Nursing: Community-focused interventions can increase rates of cancer screening among Korean American women.