Low Mammogram Rate Among Korean-Americans

Korean-American women are far less likely to undergo regular mammogram screenings for breast cancer than any other ethnic group in California, according to new data from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

UCLA researchers concluded that just 51.8% of Korean-American women over the age of 40 in California have undergone a mammogram within the past two years. That compares to the statewide average of 79%.

The overall screening average among Asian-American women is lower than average, at 72.4%, but the rate among Korean-Americans is 30% lower than that.

More than 30% of the nation's Korean-American population resides in California, about 515,000 in total, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. More than 65%, or 330,000, live in Los Angeles.

Researchers concluded that the  relatively high rate of uninsureds in California's Korean-American communities may be among the reasons the screening rate is so low. 

Ninez Ponce, a principal investigator with the California Health Information Survey, from which the study's data was compiled, said that Korean-Americans uninsured rate in California is the highest of any demographic group – 42.2%. That's nearly seven percentage points higher than the uninsured rate among Latinos, which stands at 35.3%.

Ponce, who noted that the outlier data among Korean-Americans was detected due to how the CHIS data is compiled and analyzed, attributed the low insured rate in that community in large part to their high likelihood of being self-employed. Among those that hold jobs, they are more likely to not have healthcare benefits than other groups, she added.

By comparison, the screening rate among Japanese-American women in California is more than 84%. Ponce said that is likely due to the fact that the community is more long-tenured in the U.S. compared to most other Asian subgroups, which were not established until after immigration laws were relaxed in the 1960s. 

However, screening among Filipinas, Vietnamese-Americans and Chinese-Americans were just slightly below the statewide average, at 78.2%, 75.6% and 72.8%, respectively.

But those rates remain below those of African-Americans, at 83%, and whites, at 81.5%, both of which were slightly above the statewide averages. The screening rate among Latinas is 77.5%. 

About 22,000 Caliornia women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, according to data from the American Cancer Society, and there about 283,000 Californians currently fighting the disease.

Survival rates are relatively high compared to other forms of cancer if it is detected early.

“Getting a regular mammogram should be an absolute, not an option,” Ponce said. “The lower screening rates among Asians, and especially among Koreans, suggests a need for culturally appropriate outreach to encourage women not to neglect this critical early-warning tool in the fight against breast cancer.”

Ponce said that increasing awareness of breast cancer among spouses was a good way to bump up the regularity of screenings. A study that recently took place within the Korean-American community in Chicago strongly suggested that outreach at local churches was a good way to boost mammogram rates.

Researchers also concluded that the Affordable Care Act may also boost the rate of Korean-Americans with health insurance.