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Indeed, the notion that women’s health is not determined solely by genetics does not
come as a total surprise to this nation, as race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status of
women were all well-acknowledged to contribute substantially to their health outcomes
(Office of Women’s Health, 1999). Health and wealth often go hand in hand. Health
status determines one’s ability to work, the amount of income, the medical expenses and
finally the amount of savings, thus changes in health status often bring changes in wealth
in the same direction (Smith, 1995). On the other hand, better-off, and better-educated
women usually have greater access to and utilization of health care and thus report better
health profiles (Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, 1997). Thus the
socioeconomic status (SES) of women has always been an essential piece in the general
health picture.
Following the general rule in health outcomes, it takes more than the individual’s biology
to determine a woman’s chance of getting or surviving from breast cancer. Preventive
measures including low-fat, high-fiber diet and abstinence from alcohol may reduce a
woman’s breast cancer risk, and to trim down the actual mortality figure, early detection
methods proved to be essential (American Cancer Society, 2002). For women above the
age of 50, mammography is officially recommended to detect breast cancer in its earliest,
most treatable stage, during which a woman has better than 90% chance of long-term
survival, while clinical breast exams and breast self exams are recommended to adult
women of all ages (American Cancer Society, 2002). As breast cancer risk increases with
age, older women have been identified as the critical population. Older women with
lower SES, however, were the least likely to take regular mammograms, clinical breast
Convention