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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Melissa Clark, PhD¹, Michelle Rogers, PhD¹, Gene Armstrong, BS¹, William Rakowski, PhD¹, Deborah Bowen, PhD², Tonda Hughes, PhD³, and Kelly McGarry, MD⁴. (1) Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University, Box G-H1, Providence, RI 02912, 4018633170, melissa_clark@brown.edu, (2) Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N. MP900, Seattle, WA 98109, (3) College of Nursing, University of Illinois-Chicago, 845 S. Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612, (4) Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Box G-RIH, Providence, RI 02912

Background: Previous research suggests that women who partner with women (WPW) may be less likely to undergo routine cancer screenings than women who partner with men (WPM). The Cancer Screening Project for Women examined the experiences of women 40-75 years with breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening. Methods: We used comparable techniques to recruit 208 WPW and 397 WPM to assess correlates of age-appropriate on-schedule screenings. Results: Compared with WPM, WPW were more likely to be younger, have a college education, have household incomes greater than $30,000, be employed, identify as White, and report recent binge drinking. In addition, in bivariate analyses, WPW were more likely to report pap testing (83.2% vs 73.5%) and less likely to report colorectal screening (32.2% vs 43.3%). However, controlling for demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and reported barriers to care, we found no differences by partner gender for on-schedule mammography, Pap testing, colorectal screening, or on a measure of comprehensive screening (i.e., on-schedule for all three types of exams). Women who were older, college-educated, had household incomes greater than $30,000, were not employed, and reported no barriers to screening were more likely to report comprehensive screening. Women who described avoiding screenings because of body image concerns were less likely to report on-schedule comprehensive screening (9.6%) compared with those not endorsing those concerns (31.9%). Conclusions: In our sample of comparably aged unmarried women, WPW did not differ from WPM in cancer screening behaviors after controlling for important differences in demographic and health behavior characteristics.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Describe rates of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening among a sample of unmarried women 40-75 years
• 2. Describe correlates of comprehensive screening in a sample of unmarried women 40-75 years
• 3. Compare on-schedule screening rates between women who partner with women and women who partner with men
• 4. Discuss how findings from this study compare to prior studies

Keywords: Cancer Screening, Lesbian Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No