Breast Cancer Education Community Outreach

Oct. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- As part of an ongoing community effort to educate community women about breast cancer, NorthPoint health and Wellness center is offering breast cancer education classes. Breast Cancer is an area where health disparities between women of color and white women are particularly acute. Although the incidence of breast cancer among women of color is actually lower than white women, breast cancer death rates are significantly higher. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that African American women in the United States who were diagnosed with breast cancer were twice a likely to die from the disease as white women if diagnosed at the same stage in the development of the disease.

This data underscores the importance of screening and early detection among women of color as well as support through the breast cancer journey which greatly improves the survival rates for women with breast cancer. In North Minneapolis only 58% of women over the age of 40 have had a mammogram within the past 12 months as compared with 64% of women in Hennepin County. White women were more likely to have had a mammogram than African Americans, African born Asian and Latina Women.

One of the reasons that fewer women of color receive a mammogram is because they do not understand the importance of mammography. Some of this may be due to the lack of understanding of the concept of prevention in African American and Asian American communities. In SE Asia and Africa, health care is for people who are sick. Preventive care is not well understood and frequently not available this is also true with Latina Women not having sufficient knowledge of Breast Self Examination Mammograms and Breast Cancer Awareness education.

Cancer Education Project for Women of Color in North Minneapolis a Project funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  

for  more information contact Francisca Rivera at 612-767-9162