Perry Poster Day

A standardizing abstract submission is required.  Please see sample below and note the font is Ariel 11.  The abstract should not exceed 250 words.   

The body of the abstract should include:

·         objectives

·         methods

·         results

·         conclusions

Note:  Pilot data is acceptable but “results to be presented” is not 

Awareness Does Not Equate to Accurate, Complete Knowledge of New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

Marc T. Kiviniemi, Ph.D., University at Buffalo and Jennifer L. Hay, Ph.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

OBJECTIVES:  In November 2009, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued revised recommendations for breast cancer screening mammography for average risk women; the update recommended individual decision-making between women and their physicians, but against routine screening, for women 40-49, and reduced the recommended frequency for women 50-74 from annual screening to screening every other year.   We examined the accuracy of women’s knowledge about the updated recommendations.

METHOD:  Five hundred and eight US women ages 40+ years took part in a nationwide telephone survey; half were age 40-49 and half were age 50+. The survey was conducted in Nov/Dec 2010, approximately 1 year after the guidelines update. Results reported here are for the subsample of women who reported awareness that changes had been made to screening guidelines (n=212). Those women answered an open-ended question asking what changes had been made to recommendations.  Responses were coded for age change and for frequency change by two independent coders.  All women completed demographic and socioeconomic status items.

RESULTS: Only 11.9% of “aware” respondents had accurate knowledge about both age (e.g., “start later or start at age 50”) and frequency (e.g., “decrease frequency” or “every 2 years”).  17.5% reported that the change was to starting at an earlier age.  13.2% reported that the change was to increase the screening interval.  23% were aware that changes had been made but answered “don’t know” to what the changes were.  Accuracy was unrelated to age, race, education, or area of the country.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite media attention and public health communications about the guidelines changes, women’s knowledge about the changes is quite low.  These findings suggest the need to disseminate guideline changes to the general public, and to develop decision aids for women and physicians to initiate discussion of the recommendations, and in those aged 40-50, to clarify patient preferences for mammography.