The Information Environment of Women and Mammography Screening: Assessing Reciprocity in Social Relationships

Abstract

This study focused on two dimensions of a woman's information environment hypothesized to correlate with mammography use. One dimension characterized a woman's information seeking style; the second focused on information sharing and communication, including the respondent's perception of herself as a disseminator of mammography-related information. Data from a telephone survey of 1,324 women, age 50 to 75 and enrolled in a health maintenance organization (HMO), were analyzed to identify the factors associated with mammography history and intention to have a future mammogram. Women who had never had a mammogram or who were underscreened (e.g., off-schedule after an earlier mammogram) were more likely to regard information about mammography from a health care provider or expert as somewhat important or not important at all. In contrast, women who consistently communicated the benefits of mammography to other women demonstrated a trend toward more regular screening. The most striking finding was that screening status was correlated neither solely with the influence of significant others in a woman's network nor solely with a woman's perception of herself as an information communicator. Rather, the decision to obtain mammography involved both giving and receiving health-related information. These results underscore the utility of considering the total information environment as one factor influencing women's use of mammography.