Motivations for Mammography

This week I’d like to switch gears to look at a topic in Women’s health. Breast cancer screenings have become a hot topic in the past few months due to the release of revised mammography recommendations from the United States Preventative Services Health Care. Though the new set of recommendations have generated both buzz and confusion, the crux of the debate lies in the elimination of mandatory mammography services for women after the age of 40, moving this age to 50 instead.
A misreading of this change in policy has led many to believe that this will mean the elimination for mammography services for women between the age of 40 and 50. In fact, however, women in this age bracket are now simply left to elect individually whether they would like to receive the service. In light of this change the circumstances under which women are likely to choose to get the screening are worth investigating. It turns out that there is research on what demographic features and personal traits are correlated with the greatest likelihood of women seeking out a mammography. This type of research can help policy makers, health care providers, and friends and family alike encourage women to take preventative measures into their own hands.

Here is an article that looks at the personal characteristics that are most deterministic of whether a woman will seek out a mammography:

The authors find, interestingly, that self-efficacy, the belief or confidence that one has the power to take events into one’s own hands, is the number one determining factor of going through with a mammogram. In some ways, it seems that self-efficacy is linked to traditional education in preventative measures. The more you know about these types of services, the better equipped you are to make them happen. On the other hand, self-efficacy captures a less intuitive factor- the notion of agency. Women who believe in the strength and potency of their will are more likely to seek the services. It appears that increasing women’s self-sufficiency and confidence will have positive implications for their receiving a mammogram.

This kind of research into how a change in motivations can promote early detection also has some cost cutting implications. The more a woman becomes accountable for and knowledgeable about her own health, the easier the health care provider must share. Discovering techniques to help women help themselves in terms of these measures is interesting from a psychological perspective, informative from a policy perspective, and meaningful from a health perspective.