Characteristics of Rural Women Who Attended a Free Breast Health Program

Abstract

Rural women are particularly at risk of dying from breast cancer, because they do not take advantage of screening procedures that are readily available to their urban counterparts. The purpose of this non-experimental study was to explore characteristics of rural women who attended a free breast health program that included self breast examination education and free mammography. The organizing conceptual framework was the Precede/Proceed Model. Five hundred and seventy-five women who lived in four rural Midwestern counties participated by completing a questionnaire. Results revealed predisposing factors included knowledge of and desire for breast health behaviors, enabling factors included lack of resources to pay such as insurance and adequate income, and reinforcing factors included physician recommendation and self reassurance. Data support the need for a continued focus on breast health programs in rural communities. Recommendations for future studies include hypothesis development and intervention strategies that strengthen breast health in rural women.