The impact of media coverage of Nancy Reagan's experience on breast cancer screening.

In surveys of random samples of women 50 years of age and older residing in two communities in Long Island, New York, both within-subject (cohort) and independent-sample comparisons were made before and after the media announcements of Nancy Reagan's breast cancer. Knowledge of lifetime risk of breast cancer increased significantly only in the cohort comparison, while self-perception of risk did not increase. Small proportions of women surveyed, however, reportedly were influenced to contact a health professional (6-8 percent) and to have their first mammogram (1.5-2 percent) which they attributed directly to Mrs. Reagan's experience with breast cancer.