Do women in the community recognize hereditary and sporadic breast cancer risk factors?
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe knowledge of hereditary, familial, and sporadic breast cancer risk factors among women in the community and to identify characteristics associated with this knowledge. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional. SETTING: Community settings in the San Francisco Bay Area. SAMPLE: 184 women who had never been diagnosed with cancer, were 30-85 years old (mean = 47 + 12), and agreed to complete a questionnaire in English. Participants were from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds (i.e., 43% European descent, 27% African descent, 16% Asian descent, and 14% Hispanic descent). Many (49%) were college graduates, and 24% had a median annual family income of $30,000-$50,000. METHODS: Survey. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Knowledge of hereditary, familial, and sporadic breast cancer risk factors and characteristics associated with this knowledge. FINDINGS: Although most women recognized heredity as a risk factor, some did not understand the impact of paternal family histor
