Screening Mammography and Latinas: A Multilevel Intervention

Overview

¡Fortaleza Latina! is a multi-level randomized trial to increase participation in mammography screening among Latinas who seek care at a community health center in Western Washington. In partnership with the partnering community health center, we have obtained lists of women patients aged 42 to 74 years old who had not had a mammogram in the last two years and resided within defined radii of the four clinics. Baseline and one year follow-up surveys will be obtained by in person home interview. Participants are randomized within clinic to intervention or comparison group. The intervention consist of two motivational interviewing sessions, one in person in the home, and one telephone follow-up. The study hypothesis is that a higher proportion of participants in the motivational interviewing arm will obtain a screening mammogram within the study period than those in the comparison arm.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Hispanic women in the United States (US) and five-year survival from breast cancer is lower in Hispanic than in non-Hispanic White women. This reduced survival has a number of potential causes, but differential screening rates may be a partial explanation, since Hispanic women have lower breast cancer screening rates than non-Hispanic White women. The overall purpose of the study is to develop and evaluate a culturally-appropriate intervention aimed at increasing screening mammography rates in a clinic-based sample of predominantly Mexican American women in Western Washington. The recruitment goal of the Fortaleza Latina study is approximately 500 Latina women aged 40-74 who have had a clinic visit within the past 5 years, but no recent mammogram, from the four selected Community Health Center clinics. After providing informed consent and completing a baseline assessment, eligible women are randomly assigned to intervention or comparison group, within clinic. The individual-level intervention implements motivational interviewing (MI) in two participant encounters. MI is a direct counseling style, led by a promotora (lay health advisor), that elicits behavior change by helping participants explore and resolve ambivalence. Of the 2194 women contacted by field interviewers, a total of 710 surveys have been completed; of these, 542 were eligible and have been randomized and enrolled into the Fortaleza Latina study (279 intervention, 263 usual care).