Perceptions and Barriers to Screening Mammography and Clinical Breast Examination: A Survey Study of Underserved Populations in North Texas.

Background: Mammography serves as the primary screening tool for detecting breast cancer, and clinical breast examination serves as an additional low-risk technique. There are known socioeconomic disparities in screening accessibility that correlate with breast cancer mortality and tumor stage at diagnosis. Identifying patient barriers and sentiments is a vital step in increasing compliance rates amongst vulnerable populations.

Methods: A link to a survey available in English and Spanish was distributed across zip codes with the lowest median household incomes in Fort Worth, Texas. Data collection took place between November 2022 and November 2023. Only female participants aged 18 or older were included in the study. Statistical analysis was performed on IBM SPSS, Python, and Pandas library softwares.

Results: Hispanic, low-income, and less educated individuals were more likely to have inadequate screening mammography and clinical breast examination status. This is due to several self-reported barriers including cost, lack of knowledge, and lack of time. The majority of patients reported interest in receiving women's healthcare (67.3%), believed screening allowed for early breast cancer detection (72.7%), and believed screenings decreased breast cancer mortality (69.1%).

Conclusions: There are clear discrepancies in access to breast cancer screenings despite a majority of respondents acknowledging their benefit. We suggest the aforementioned demographics be targeted in interventions to improve free or low-cost access and education surrounding breast cancer screenings. This study would benefit from further data collection and expansion to multiple cities in the United States.