The purpose of this study was to determine attitudes regarding the 2009 USPSTF Guidelines for breast cancer screening for women in their 40's and assess the effect of one of two newspaper articles on their attitudes. The population studied was women seeing their private gynecologist for annual exams in the 39-49 year old age group.
Subjects completed a baseline questionnaire listing demographics, previous experience with mammograms, and acquaintances with breast cancer. They then were randomly assigned one of two articles (one favorable and one unfavorable) that had been published in the newspaper regarding the USPSTF breast cancer screening guidelines. Their attitudes towards the safety of the guidelines and their willingness to comply with them was then measured.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
247
article title: "Taking a hit on healthcare- why that's women's work"
read "A Backlash of Mistrust"
UMassMemorial Medical Group- Auburn Gyn
Auburn, Massachusetts, United States
Shrewsbury Ob-Gyn
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States
UMassMemorial Medical Group- OB-GYN
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States
Women's Health of Central Mass
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Willingness to forgo mammograms from age 40-49
Time frame: within 15 minutes of completion of reading assigned article
Do you feel that the mammogram recommendations safe?
Time frame: within 15 minutes of completion of reading assigned article
Do attitudes regarding the breast cancer screening guidelines differ by acquaintance with breast cancer?
Time frame: within 15 minutes of completion of reading assigned article
Does willingness to forgo mammograms in their 40's differ by previous "false alarms" with mammography?
Time frame: within 15 minutes of completion of reading assigned article
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