Adherence to mammography and colorectal cancer screening in women 50-80 years of age the role of psychological distress.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of women's attitudes and health beliefs regarding breast and colorectal cancer screening practices.

Methods: Nine hundred five women, 50 to 80 years of age, were recruited from 63 randomly selected physician offices within the greater Los Angeles area. The Health Belief Model was used to evaluate potential predictor variables associated with patients' breast and colorectal cancer screening practices.