# Breast Cancer Screening: Priorities and Attitudes of Diverse Women Under 50

> **NIH NIH R00** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $240,802

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death and the leading cause of premature
mortality for women in the U.S. Women who are racial/ethnic minorities experience an unequal burden of the
disease. Breast cancer screening mammography guidelines for women aged 40-49 years are controversial.
The potential benefit of avoiding an advanced cancer is often emphasized, while minimizing the frequency of
possible harms. Conflicting recommendations for age at initiation and frequency of screening mammography
for women aged 40-49 years highlight concerns related to the benefits and harms of screening. These
conflicting recommendations leave women confused about when to initiate screening, how often to be
screened, what sources to trust, and can undermine informed decision-making about screening
mammography. Women from diverse racial/ethnic groups and those with limited health literacy are particularly
vulnerable to misunderstanding screening recommendations.
Health literacy is the degree to which one has the ability to obtain, process, understand, and use health
information and services in order to make appropriate health decisions. Those with limited health literacy have
difficulty navigating the health care system, making health care decisions, and utilizing cancer screening, all
contributing to disparities in cancer care. Health literacy is often a more powerful predictor of health disparities
than more well-established predictors such as education and race/ethnicity. Moreover, individuals from
traditionally medically underserved communities (e.g., racial/ethnic minority, low socioeconomic status [SES])
are at higher risk for lower health literacy, which can also reduce participation in cancer screening.
This project will compare the intersections and differences between how Latina, Black, and non-Latina White
women consider the benefits and harms associated with breast cancer screening mammography. The goal of
this project is to create decision support tools for Latina, Black, and non-Latina White women with varying
levels of health literacy under age 50 considering breast cancer screening mammography.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9979658
- **Project number:** 5R00MD011485-04
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ASHLEY HOUSTEN
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $240,802
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-25 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9979658

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9979658, Breast Cancer Screening: Priorities and Attitudes of Diverse Women Under 50 (5R00MD011485-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9979658. Licensed CC0.

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