The Association of Religiosity and Use of Breast Cancer Screening among Older Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

To examine the association between religiosity and breast cancer screening methods, 6,541 women aged 60 and older from the Health, Well-Being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean Study (SABE) were studied. The outcomes were reporting a mammogram, a clinical breast examination (CBE) or breast self-examination (BSE) within the last 2 years. Women who reported religion being very important were more likely to have a mammogram (OR=1.90, 95% CI 1.53-2.35), a CBE (OR= 1.70, 95% CI 1.44-2.00) and a BSE (OR= 1.44, 95% CI 1.23-1.68) compared with women who reported no religious affiliation. This suggests that religiosity may facilitate breast cancer screening behaviors among older women.