Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
Volume 60, Issue 3, Pages E123-E130Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.09.010
Keywords
-
Funding
- Health and Social Care Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency
- Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Northern Ireland Government
- Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
- DOR
- ESRC [ES/R010226/1, ES/K00428X/1, ES/N012003/1, ES/K005766/1, ES/S00744X/1, ES/R008221/1, ES/L007509/1, ES/R011400/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- MRC [G0901530, MR/V005901/1] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study reveals significant disparities in breast cancer screening uptake for women with mental illness in the United Kingdom, with lower attendance rates observed, especially among women prescribed psychotropic medications. Targeted interventions are needed to prevent avoidable breast cancer deaths in this population, given the rising prevalence of mental illness.
Introduction: Although there is evidence of disparities in breast cancer screening for women with mental illness in the U.S., there is a dearth of studies examining this association in the United Kingdom, where health care is provided free at the point of access. This population-based study examines the influence of mental illness, as assessed by the uptake of psychotropic medications, on breast screening uptake in the United Kingdom. Methods: A cohort of 57,328 women identified from 2011 Census records within the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study was followed through a single 3-year screening cycle (2011-2014) of the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme. Mental illness was identified by a receipt of psychotropic medication in the 3 months preceding screening invite. Individual- and house-holdlevel attributes were derived from Census records. Data were analyzed in 2019. Results: More than a third of women received >= 1 prescription for psychotropic medication in the 3 months preceding screening invite. The odds of attendance in these individuals were reduced by 15% (OR=0.85, 95% CI=0.81, 0.88). Attendance was particularly low for women prescribed antipsychotics (OR=0.63, 95% CI=0.56, 0.70), anxiolytics (OR=0.61, 95% CI=0.57, 0.66), and hypnotics (OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.63, 0.72). Conclusions: These findings confirm the existence of significant disparities in breast screening uptake for women with mental illness. Targeted interventions are warranted to prevent avoidable breast cancer deaths in these individuals, especially given the increasing prevalence of mental illness. (C) 2020 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available