Mammography uptake predictors in older women.

Background: In women aged under 65 years, socio-economic factors and general health behaviours are important predictors of mammography uptake. Little is known about whether these factors are important in older women.

Objective: To examine a broad range of mammography uptake predictors in women aged 65 and older registered with a London (UK) practice.

Methods: A survey of all female patients aged 65 and over (n = 613) in a south London practice included questions on mammography and cervical screening, general health and functional ability, socio-economic factors, mental health, health behaviours, and attitudes to health. Associations between mammography uptake and other factors were examined using logistic regression.

Results: The response rate was 70% (432/613). Increased age was strongly associated with decreased mammography uptake. Additionally, socio-economic factors and general health behaviours (previous cervical smear, drinking alcohol and being a non-smoker) were independently predictive of mammography uptake. Measures of physical and mental health and health attitudes were not independent predictors. Restricting analyses to the oldest women, outside the national screening programme, gave very similar results.

Conclusions: In this sample of older women, socio-economic factors and general health behaviours were more predictive of mammography uptake than measures of physical and mental health or attitudes to health. Knowledge of these predictors is of increasing importance as the screening programme in the UK is extended up to age 70.