Obesity and Screening Compliance for Breast and Cervical Cancer in Korean Women

Purpose : This study was performed to assess whether the weight status is associated with screeningrates of breast and cervical cancer in Korean women.
Methods: Study participants included women agedbetween 30 and 80 years from the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007to 2009. Body mass index was classified into ~18.4 kg/m2 (underweight), 18.5~22.9 kg/m2 (normal), 23~24.9kg/m2 (overweight), 25.0~29.9 kg/m2 (moderate obesity) and 30.0 kg/m2~ (severe obesity) according to theAsia Pacific Standards of WHO recommended definition of obesity. Screening rates of breast and cervicalcancer were estimated by the recommendation of the National Cancer Screening Program of the NationalCancer Center, Korea. Results : The overall screening rates for breast and cervical cancer were 51.3% and50.1%, respectively. After covariate adjustment, the screening rates for breast cancer (adjusted odds ratio,0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.51 to 0.97) and cervical cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 0.71; 95% confidenceinterval, 0.53 to 0.94) were significantly lower in the women with severe obesity.
Conclusion: Obesity isassociated with lower compliance with breast and cervical cancer screening guidelines in Korean women.