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Use of mammography screening among older Samoan women in Los Angeles county: a diffusion network approach

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  • Levy-Storms, Lené
  • Wallace, Steven P.

Abstract

Minority migrant populations, such as older Samoan women, are likely to underuse preventive health services, including mammography screening. The purpose of this paper is to explore how informal (lay peers from churches) and formal (health care providers) health communication networks influence mammography screening use among older Samoan women. To do so, we apply diffusion of innovation theory and network analysis to understand how interpersonal networks may affect mammography use in this urban-dwelling, migrant population. The data come from a survey of 260 Samoan women, aged 50 years or older, who attended 39 randomly sampled Samoan churches in Los Angeles County (USA) between 1996 and 1997. Retrospective data, based over a 20-year period from this sample's year of first use of mammography screening, suggest that interpersonal networks may have accounted for the dramatic increase in the rate of adoption within the past 5 years of the survey. Using this information, we categorized women into mutually exclusive stages of mammography use and regressed these stages of mammography use on formal (had a provider referral) and informal (level of connectedness with peers in churches) health communication networks. The results indicated that being well-connected within women's informal, church-based health communication networks increased the likelihood of being in the decision (planned to have) and implementation and confirmation (had a recent mammogram) stages, but having a provider referral for a mammogram (formal networks) only increased the likelihood of being in the latter stages compared to women in the knowledge and persuasion stages. Formal and informal health communication networks influence recent use of mammography screening, but informal networks, in and of themselves, are also influential on future intention to use mammography screening.

Suggested Citation

  • Levy-Storms, Lené & Wallace, Steven P., 2003. "Use of mammography screening among older Samoan women in Los Angeles county: a diffusion network approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(6), pages 987-1000, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:57:y:2003:i:6:p:987-1000
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Moser, Stephanie & Mosler, Hans-Joachim, 2008. "Differences in influence patterns between groups predicting the adoption of a solar disinfection technology for drinking water in Bolivia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(4), pages 497-504, August.
    2. Karen File & Thomas Valente & Mary-Louise McLaws, 2018. "Hygiene and Health: Who Do Mothers in Vanuatu Communicate with about Health?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Nada Nasir & Carri Hand & Suzanne Huot, 2022. "Examining Social Relationships among Older Muslim Immigrants Living in Canada: A Narrative Inquiry," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Chiu, Lai Fong & West, Robert M., 2007. "Health intervention in social context: Understanding social networks and neighbourhood," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(9), pages 1915-1927, November.
    5. Lindstrom, David P & Muñoz-Franco, Elisa, 2006. "Migration and maternal health services utilization in rural Guatemala," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 706-721, August.
    6. Aboud, Frances E. & Singla, Daisy R., 2012. "Challenges to changing health behaviours in developing countries: A critical overview," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(4), pages 589-594.
    7. Prentice, Julia C., 2006. "Neighborhood effects on primary care access in Los Angeles," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(5), pages 1291-1303, March.
    8. Mertens, Frédéric & Saint-Charles, Johanne & Mergler, Donna, 2012. "Social communication network analysis of the role of participatory research in the adoption of new fish consumption behaviors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(4), pages 643-650.
    9. Dorothy W. Ndwiga & Kate A. McBride & David Simmons & Ronda Thompson & Jennifer Reath & Penelope Abbott & Olataga Alofivae-Doorbinia & Paniani Patu & Annalise T. Vaovasa & Freya MacMillan, 2021. "Using Community Based Research Frameworks to Develop and Implement a Church-Based Program to Prevent Diabetes and Its Complications for Samoan Communities in South Western Sydney," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-18, September.

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