Environmental Support | Breast Cancer Interventions

Environmental support for breast cancer screening

Environmental support provides a worksite physically designed to encourage good health.

Reducing structural barriers increases rates of breast cancer screening

• The Task Force on Community Preventive Services has found that reducing structural barriersexternal icon to care increases rates of breast cancer screening. Structural barriers include problems such as clinic location, distance to clinic, hours of operation, appointment scheduling, language barriers, or work schedule
• Interventions to reduce structural barriers are based on the idea that making access to screening easier will increase use of screening. Examples include interventions that:
  • Reduce time or distance to delivery setting
  • Modify hours of service to meet client needs
  • Offer services in alternative, nonclinical settings (e.g., mobile mammography vans)
  • Eliminate or simplify administrative procedures (e.g., scheduling help, transportation, translation)
• Provide secondary support, such as education or ways to reduce out-of-pocket costs