Measuring breast cancer and mammography screening beliefs among Chinese American immigrants

West J Nurs Res. 2008 Nov;30(7):852-68. doi: 10.1177/0193945908319247. Epub 2008 May 30.

Abstract

Disparities in breast cancer outcomes persist among Asian American women. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Chinese American women. This article describes the psychometric evaluation of an instrument measuring knowledge and beliefs related to breast cancer and screening among Chinese American women aged 40 or older. A sample of 100 foreign-born Chinese American women were recruited from an Asian community. Guided by the health belief model, a questionnaire was adapted from three existing questionnaires. Principal axis factoring analyses yielded a three-factor solution that accounted for 53% of the variance in the breast cancer items and a four-factor solution that accounted for 69% of the variance in the cultural items (Cronbach's alphas = .71-.89). Whereas these findings contribute to the understanding of the psychometric properties of an instrument targeted for Chinese American women, additional research is needed to evaluate its utility and efficacy for other Asian Americans.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Asian / psychology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • China / ethnology
  • Emigrants and Immigrants / psychology
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Humans
  • Mammography / psychology*
  • Mass Screening / psychology
  • Middle Aged
  • Oregon
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / ethnology*
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / psychology
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*