• Posted October 18, 2024

Family, Friends Crucial to Whether You Get Screened for Cancer

Having close family and friends who care about their health makes women more likely to get regularly screened for cancer, a new study has found.

Women are more likely to undergo regular cancer screening if they have a tighter web of social and emotional connections, researchers reported Oct. 17 in the journal Cancer Causes & Control.

For example, women who never or rarely receive social and emotional support are 39% less likely to be up-to-date with mammogram screening, researchers found.

They also were 24% less likely to have undergone regular cervical cancer screening, compared to women who always have social and emotional support, results show.

Living with a spouse or partner also increased the likelihood of regular cancer screening, researchers noted.

“These findings highlight the need for interventions that can help mobilize social support networks and address the unmet social needs of parents and caregivers,” said lead researcher Jordan Baeker Bispo, principal scientist for cancer disparity research at the American Cancer Society.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from the 2021 edition of an annual U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention poll, the National Health Interview Survey.

As part of the poll, participants were asked about their living arrangements and perceived social support.

Results show that living with a spouse or partner increased the likelihood of regular screenings for breast and colon cancer.

Women were 44% more likely to participate in regular breast cancer screening and 42% more likely to get screened for colon cancer if they live with a spouse or partner, researchers found.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on cancer screening tests.

SOURCE: American Cancer Society, news release, Oct. 17, 2024