Black women's awareness of breast cancer disparity and perceptions of the causes of disparity. J Community Health 2013 Aug;38(4):766-72
Date
03/30/2013Pubmed ID
23539135DOI
10.1007/s10900-013-9677-xAbstract
Black women face the greatest breast cancer mortality burden of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. Breast cancer disparity is particularly pronounced in Chicago, where Black women were 62 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than their White counterparts in 2007. No work to date has examined views of disparity among a population living in the context of a large, well-documented, and grave health disparity. We examined (1) awareness of breast cancer disparities among Black women in Chicago; and (2) Black women's perceptions of the causes of breast cancer disparity. Four focus groups with Black women were held in Chicago. Participants completed a brief survey about their views of breast cancer prior to the group discussion. In response to the survey question, "In your opinion, who is more likely to die from breast cancer?" 51 % of participants believed all women have the same chance of dying from breast cancer. In focus group discussions, participants placed responsibility for disparity on individual behaviors and community culture. Participants believed that disparity resulted from Black women's lack of awareness of cancer screening and their failure to be screened or treated for breast cancer. The majority of participants were unaware of breast cancer mortality disparities. Moreover, while health researchers and professionals believe disparity in Chicago results from healthcare system inequalities, Black women largely viewed breast cancer disparity as a consequence of individual behaviors, knowledge and attitudes.
Author List
Kaiser K, Cameron KA, Curry G, Stolley MAuthor
Melinda Stolley PhD Center Associate Director, Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAfrican Continental Ancestry Group
Aged
Attitude to Health
Breast Neoplasms
Chicago
Data Collection
Female
Focus Groups
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Status Disparities
Humans
Middle Aged
Young Adult
