Breast Cancer Risk Among Women in Jail.

Abstract

Over 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and incarcerated women face unique risks associated with poor access to healthcare. Regular mammography can diagnose breast cancer early, giving the patient the best chance of survival. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of jail incarcerated women who have received a mammogram and were up-to-date based on the most recent United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. This was a secondary analysis of data collected among jailed women who participated in a cervical cancer literacy program. Rates of mammography were calculated for the group overall and for those women 50 years or older. Subgroups were compared using chi-squared tests. Two hundred sixty-one women were included in the analysis, of which 42.1% (N = 110) had ever had a mammogram. Of women 50 years old or older (N = 28), 75.0% had ever received a mammogram, yet only 39.3% were up-to-date (within the past 2 years). Factors associated with up-to-date mammography included being up-to-date on cervical cancer screening (76.9%) compared with women who were not up-to-date on cervical cancer screening (12.5%), p < 0.01, and women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the past year (71.4%) compared with women with no IPV in the past year (14.2%), p = 0.02. The low rates of up-to-date mammography highlight the need for more breast cancer prevention programming among women with criminal justice histories.