Are women with self-reported cognitive limitations at risk for underutilization of mammography?

Functional limitations (namely, limitations in activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living) have previously been demonstrated to exert a negative influence on mammography utilization. This study examines self-reported cognitive limitation in addition to sociodemographic, functional, and other health-related factors to determine their relationship with self-reported mammography use in the previous year. Data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey was analyzed for 6,053 women, ages 50 years and older. Just over 44% of women with self-reported cognitive impairment (n = 351) reported a mammogram in the previous year, compared with 55% of unimpaired women (n = 5,702). Logistic regression analysis indicates that the presence of a cognitive limitation significantly reduced the likelihood of a mammography in the previous year (p < 0.05) after controlling for other sociodemographic, functional, and health-related factors. Women with self-reported cognitive limitations were 30% less likely than unimpaired women to utilize mammography after controlling for various forms of disability and other factors. Thus, women with cognitive impairments may be at risk for underutilization of mammography and therefore at risk for later-stage breast cancer diagnoses.