Survey of clinical breast examinations and use of screening mammography in Florida.

This study examined data on usage of screening mammograms and clinical breast examination (CBE) by 1,339 Florida women interviewed during the 1991 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Among women 20 to 40 years old, 87.3% reported a CBE within the past 3 years, exceeding the guidelines of the American Cancer Society. Among older women, 70.4% had a CBE within the past year as recommended. However, only a bare majority (50.5%) of those aged 50 or older had obtained a mammogram in the past year. Annual household income, but not educational level, was positively associated with adherence to mammography. Among those having mammograms, self-referred women were more educated, more affluent, and more likely to be white than were physician-referred women. Further efforts and resources must be directed toward education of physicians and the public on the value of regular mammography for all Florida women, especially for our elderly and economically disadvantaged.