Effect of neighborhood and individual-level socioeconomic factors on breast cancer screening adherence in a multi-ethnic study

Abstract Background Although mammography can significantly reduce breast cancer mortality, many women do not receive their annual breast cancer screening. Differences in screening adherence exist by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and insurance status. However, more detailed investigations into the impact of neighborhood disadvantage and access to resources on screening adherence are lacking. Methods We comprehensively examined the effect of individual social, economic, and demographic factors (n = 34 variables), as well as neighborhood level SES (nSES) indicators (n = 10 variables) on breast cancer screening adherence across a multi-ethnic population (n = 472). In this cross-sectional study, participants were surveyed from 2017 to 2018. The data was analyzed using univariate regression and LASSO for variable reduction. Significant predictors were carried forward into final multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression models where odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals and p-values were reported. Results Nineteen percent of participants were non-adherent to breast screening guidelines. Race/ethnicity was not associated with adherence; however, increasing age (OR = 0.97, 95%CI = 0.95–0.99, p = 0.01), renting a home (OR = 0.53, 95%CI = 0.30–0.94, p = 0.04), food insecurity (OR 0.46, 95%CI = 0.22–0.94, p = 0.01), and overcrowding (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.32–0.94, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with lower breast cancer screening adherence. Conclusion Socioeconomic indicators at the individual and neighborhood levels impact low breast cancer screening adherence and may help to inform future screening interventions.