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A pilot study of hereditary breast and ovarian knowledge among a multiethnic group of Hispanic women with a personal or family history of cancer.

PURPOSE
To examine knowledge about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) among Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban women.


METHODS
Women (age range, 18-65 years) with a personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer were recruited to a mixed methods study using community-based approaches. Fifty-three women participated in the study: 16 Mexicans, 20 Puerto Ricans, and 17 Cubans. The majority of women (64.2%) were born outside the United States. All questions were interviewer administered in Spanish or English. HBOC knowledge was measured using an 11-item instrument developed by the National Center for Human Genome Research. We evaluated whether differences in knowledge varied as a function of Hispanic subethnicity, demographic characteristics, and medical and acculturation characteristics using a series of one-way analysis of variances.


RESULTS
The percentage of correct responses on the knowledge instrument ranged from 9.4% to 73.6% (median number of correct responses = 45%). Knowledge did not significantly differ by Hispanic subethnicity (p = 0.51). Exploratory analysis revealed lower knowledge in women with a personal history of cancer (p = 0.03).


CONCLUSION
Our study provides important information about characteristics associated with lower levels of knowledge and specific areas related to HBOC where additional education may be warranted in the Hispanic community.