Mammography screening and Pacific Islanders: role of cultural and psychosocial factors.

Background: There is little information on the associations between cultural and psychosocial factors and not receiving a mammogram by Samoan women.

Methods: Survey of 809 Samoan women aged 42 years and older.

Results: The likelihood of nonreceipt was lower for women who had higher perceptions of severity, agreement with a mammogram's efficacy, higher group norms, higher self-efficacy, and those who placed greater importance on the breast. The likelihood of nonreceipt was higher for women who harbored misconceptions and endorsed culture-specific beliefs.

Conclusions: Samoan women need specifically tailored breast cancer education which incorporates cultural and psychosocial factors important for behavior change.