Characteristics of women in focus groups about mammography screening and overdiagnosis (n=50)
| Characteristics | No (%) of women |
|---|---|
| Age (years): | |
| 40–49 | 19 (38) |
| 50–69 | 16 (32) |
| 70–79 | 15 (30) |
| Mammography screening history*: | |
| Screened at least once | 31 (62) |
| Never screened (age <50 years) | 12 (24) |
| Never screened (age >50 years) | 7 (14) |
| Education†: | |
| No formal qualifications | 4 (8) |
| Intermediate school certificate | 11 (22) |
| Higher school certificate | 9 (18) |
| Diploma or trade certificate | 12 (24) |
| University degree | 13 (26) |
| Country of birth: | |
| Australia | 27 (54) |
| England or Scotland | 4 (8) |
| China | 4 (8) |
| Other | 15 (30) |
| Marital status†: | |
| Married or living with partner | 36 (72) |
| Single, separated, or widowed | 13 (26) |
| No of children†: | |
| 0 | 11 (22) |
| 1 | 7 (14) |
| 2–6 | 31 (62) |
| Employment†: | |
| Retired | 15 (30) |
| Working full time | 14 (28) |
| Working part time | 13 (26) |
| Not in paid work | 7 (14) |
| Preferred role in screening decision†: | |
| I decide alone | 13 (26) |
| I decide after consulting doctor | 12 (24) |
| Doctor and I share equally in deciding | 14 (28) |
| Doctor decides after consulting or alone | 8 (16) |
*Although the Australian national mammography screening programme is available to women over 40 years old with no upper age limit (so all study participants were eligible), the programme actively recruits women for biennial screening between the ages of 50 and 69 in accordance with current recommendations.
†Missing data for between one and three participants.