Masters Thesis

Impact of motivational phone call and educational brochure on mammography appointment keeping

Regardless of race or ethnicity, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). It is also considered the main cause of cancer deaths among Latina women (Susan G Komen for the Cure, 2012b). Currently, screening mammography is considered to be the most effective method for detecting breast cancer at an early stage (Office on Women's Health, 2010a). Despite national recommendations however, Latina women have been found to be less likely to adhere to screening mammography compared to non-Hispanic White women (Wells & Roetzheim, 2007). Available literature shows that medical appointment-keeping rates among the Latino population are lower than rates among other ethnic groups. The intervention was a quasi-experimental study designed to measure the impact of a motivational telephone call in conjunction with an educational brochure on screening mammography appointment-keeping rates among Latina women. In order to implement this study, the resources of Inner Images, Inc. were used. Inner Images Inc. is a mobile mammography clinic providing mammography services to more than 80 health centers in California. The study was implemented among Latina women that have been scheduled to receive a mammogram with Inner Images, Inc. A total of 129 (N=129) Latina women participated in this study. The study consisted of assigning women into either a control (n=67) or an experimental group (n=62). The experimental group received both components of the study: an educational brochure in conjunction with a motivational telephone call while the control group did not receive any of these components. Hypothesis testing showed a positive association between the implementation of the study’s components and mammography appointment-keeping behavior among Latina women. When comparing historical data regarding mammography appointment-keeping rates among all three participating clinics and rates obtained from the study groups; results showed a significant difference among the experimental group only. Given that there was not significant difference between the historical controls and the control group, this observation provides support to the association found between the implementation of the study’s components and mammography appointment-keeping behavior among Latina women. Additional observations also showed a significant increase of 15% in appointment-keeping rates in the experimental group compared to the control group. In conclusion, the study was successful in demonstrating that there is a positive association between the implementation of an educational brochure and a motivational telephone call and mammography appointment-keeping behavior among Latina women. Recommendations for further studies include those that involve observing the impacts of educational brochure and motivational telephone call in different populations than the one selected for this study. Recommendations for Inner Images, Inc. include continuously educate client clinics and Latina patients about breast cancer and the importance of early detection through mammography use in order to eliminate potential barriers to mammography and increase mammography adherence and mammography appointment-keeping rates.

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