Preventive Health Behavior in Women

The overall goal of the proposed research is to explore behavioral correlations between colorectal cancer screening and screening mammography and to develop an innovative approach for reducing barriers colorectal cancer screening in women, using screening mammography, an existing non-colon cancer related screening test that has widespread public acceptance, as a "teachable moment." Although screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) has been shown to decrease the incidence of CRC and CRC associated mortality, adherence to screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society and the American Gastroenterological Association remains poor.1-5 Barriers to adherence are not fully defined, but may include poor understanding of the relative benefits and risks of CRC screening, absence of physician recommendation, lack of insurance coverage for screening procedures, and poor patient acceptance of screening procedures. A potential challenge in increasing patient knowledge may be the milieu in which the educational intervention is administered. This study will be the first prospective study to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention designed to increase CRC screening administered at a cancer screening visit unrelated to CRC.