Screening for breast and cervical cancer in a large German city: participation, motivation and knowledge of risk factors

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Abstract
Background: Few data exist on attendance for cervical and breast cancer screening, breast self-examination and knowledge about risk factors for cervical cancer among German women. A population-based survey was performed in the city of Bielefeld in Germany. Method: A questionnaire was mailed to 1500 randomly selected women age 25 to 75. Of those, 540 questionnaires were returned and 532 were analysed. Results: Women participating in the survey considered themselves well informed about possibilities for early detection of breast cancer (84.0%). Most information was received from office-based gynaecologists (82.4%). 82.8% had a breast examination by a medical doctor annually and 43.1% practised breast self-examination every month. 55.5% of the women had had a mammography, 72.5% gave screening as a reason for a mammogram. Age at first mammography was associated with social class (pppConclusion: Rates of opportunistic mammography screening were high in the study population. Information on risk factors for cervical cancer was scarce. Efforts should be made to improve women's knowledge about risk factors for cervical cancer. Key points

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