Abstract

The aim of this article is to identify factors affecting access to breast cancer screening in Mexico according to the sociodemographic characteristics of the women, using three nationally-representative surveys. Descriptive statistics were performed and multiple classification analysis techniques were used. The dependent variables were that the women had realized: 1) breast self-examination, 2) clinical breast examination, or 3) mammography; the covariates were: age group, education level, type of locality (urban/rural), marital status, number of children, enrollment in social security and socioeconomic status. A low level of screening use was detected and gaps were observed between different groups of women according to sociodemographic characteristics. In general women of lower economic strata, without enrollment in social security and with lower educational levels, showed fewer detection practices than the national average.