The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #53707

Lynne E. Broderick, MPH, Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center, 2020 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30309, 404-367-1348, lynne_broderick@shepherd.org and James S. Krause, PhD, Department of Rehabilitation Science, Medical University of South Carolina, 77 President Street, Charleston, SC 29425.

Women make up just less than 20% of all people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Because of the gender discrepancy between people with SCI, research on the health care practices of women with SCI is just now gaining needed attention. The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of preventive health behaviors of women with spinal cord injury (SCI) by comparing the frequency of breast and cervical cancer screening rates (a) between women with SCI and women in the general population, and (b) among women with SCI as a function of race-ethnicity and SES. Participants included 191 women with SCI who had been treated at 1 of 4 Model SCI Systems (MSCIS) hospitals. The sample included 66 Caucasian women, 59 African-American women, 22 American Indian women and 44 Hispanic women. Data were collected from participants through telephone interviews. The measures used for this paper included items regarding health behaviors that were selected from the women’s supplement of the 1998 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The study participants did report significant differences in their frequency of either mammograms or pap smears when compared to the general population. However, significant differences were not found when comparing rates by race/ethnicity to the general population. Also, no differences were found among the women with SCI as a function of race/ethnicity or income level. The results are encouraging, as they do not identify deficits among women with SCI in preventive health care as a function of race-ethnicity, or socio-economic status (SES).

Learning Objectives:

• The first objective of this presentation is to bring to the forefront the importance of routine health screenings for women with disabilities, in particular, spinal cord injuries (SCI). The second objective is to outline the differences in breast and cervical cancer screening rates between women with and without SCI. The third objective is to present recommendations of ways to eliminate the differences, as routine screenings are important for all women, not just those without SCI.

Keywords: Women's Health, Disability

Related Web page: www.shepherd.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.