Does a bite cause cancer? Misperceptions of breast cancer etiology among low-income urban women in Miami, Florida.

OBJECTIVES

To explore breast cancer beliefs among a cohort of low-income, urban, English-speaking women in Miami, Florida, who had undergone screening mammography.

METHODS

Four focus groups of 34 women were conducted. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analyzed separately by two investigators using an immersion-and-crystallization approach. Common risk factors were identified by consensus.

RESULTS

Participants were predominantly African American (82%) women of low income (77% with a household income <$20,000/year). Common risk factors included family history, environmental factors, trauma, and sexual activity. There also was a perception that breast cancer grows rapidly and causes detectable symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Women voiced some accurate and numerous inaccurate beliefs regarding the causes of breast cancer, suggesting a lack of knowledge about the potential benefits and harms of screening mammography before undergoing examination. These findings highlight the importance of identifying women's underlying beliefs when initiating a discussion of breast cancer screening and prevention to ensure that messages are mutually understood.