Promoting breast and cervical cancer screening at the workplace: Results from the woman to woman study

Objectives. This article reports findings from a peer-delivered intervention designed to increase use of breast and cervical cancer screening. Methods. Twenty-six worksites were randomly assigned to the intervention or comparison group. The 16-month intervention consisted of group discussions, outreach, and educational campaigns. Data were collected from a random sample of women employees stratified by age (baseline n=2943; final n=2747). Cross-sectional analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention on screening behaviors. Results. Relative to comparison worksites, the intervention group experienced greater increases in the percentage of women who reported a recent mammogram (7.2% vs 5.6%), clinical breast examination (5.8% vs 2.1%), and Papanicolaou (Pap) test (4.7% vs 1.9%). After worksite cluster and age strata were controlled for, the observed increase in Pap tests was significantly greater in the intervention group (odds ratio [OR]=1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.01, 1.62); however, differences in mammography screening rates (OR=1.14; 95% CI=0.90, 1.44) and clinical breast examination (OR=1.19; 95% CI=0.96, 1.49) were not statistically significant. Conclusions. Intervention activities produced a modest increase in cervical cancer screening, but they did not accelerate breast cancer screening rates above the observed secular trend.