Patient Education and Coumeling. 19 (1992) 241-250 Elsevier Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd. 241 Original Articles Changes in Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior of Women Participating in a Community Outreach Education Program on Breast Cancer Screening Marianne C. Forsyth, RN, MAa, Deborah L Fulton, MPHb, Dorothy S. Lane, MD, MPHC, Mary Ann Burg, MSW, PhDdand Malini Krishna” ‘Project Coordinator, Awareness of Breast Cancer Screening Project, hResearch Assistant, Awareness of Breast Cancer Screening Project, ‘Principal Investigator. Awareness of Breast Cancer Screening Project and Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine, ‘Research Associate, Awareness of Breast Cancer Screening Project and Instructor in Preventive Medicine and ‘Project Assistant, Awareness of Breast Cancer Screening Project, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, State University of New York al Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York II 794 (USA) (Received April lst, 1991) (Accepted March 3rd. 1992) Abstract A community-based intervention project on Long Island was supported by the National Cancer Insti- tute to increase the use of mammography and breast physical examination among older women. During a l-year period 526 women aged 50 and older attended educational sessions presented by the project staff conducted in the community in a variety of settings. Sixty-eight percent (35.5) of the women who par- ticipated provided identifying data and completed pre- and post-session surveys while 40% (210) also completed a mail survey 6-12 months later. Screen- ing behavior improved subsequent to the interven- tion, at follow-up 61% had taken some related action. More than half of the 109 women who had a mammogram after attending the session indicated that the presentation inji’uenced them to do so. The use of a game created a positive atmosphere for con- veying information about a sensitive subject and en- This research was supported under Grant CA45034 from the National Cancer Institute. couraged discussion among women who had a variety of experiences with screening. Key words: Community education; Breast cancer; Mammography; Women’s health; Behavioral change Introduction About one in nine women will develop breast cancer within their lifetime and an estimated 180 000 cases will occur among women in the U.S. in 1992 [l]. It has been well documented, however, that early detection of breast cancer can lead to successful treatment and improved survival rates [2]. Consensus guidelines from various groups including the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and the American Medical Association recommend yearly mam- mography and breast physical examination for women 50 years of age and older [3]. Results from our own and other recent studies 0738-3991/92/$05.00 0 1992 Elsevier Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd. Printed and Published in Ireland