TY - JOUR AB - BACKGROUND: Women with obesity are not only at higher risk of developing cancer such as gynaecological malignancies but are also less likely to attend cancer prevention screenings (CPS). In this study, we aimed to obtain a better database for Germany and to investigate whether women with obesity are less likely to undergo CPS compared to women without obesity. Moreover, we aimed to identify factors that determine CPS behaviour. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted that assessed data of 1003 females in the general public with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2; n = 500) and without obesity (BMI < 30 kg/m2; n = 503). We assessed participants' utilisation of cervical, breast, and colorectal CPS. Group differences were investigated by using Chi-Square tests, whereas influencing factors that might determine CPS behaviour were examined by multivariate logistic regression analyses. Therefore, logistic regression models for (a) the full sample and (b) the obese sample were conducted. Explanatory factors (i.e., cancer awareness, the internalisation of weight bias (WBIS) and perceived weight-based discrimination) were included. Confounding factors such as sociodemographic variables were included in the multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Women with obesity were less likely to undergo Pap smear (χ2(1) = 13.90, p < 0.001) and clinical breast examination (χ2(4) = 14.41, p < 0.01) compared to women without obesity. In contrast, the utilisation of all other CPS methods did not differ between women with and without obesity. Logistic regression analyses revealed neither an association between CPS behaviour and WBI nor perceived weight bias. Instead, previous cancer diagnoses and knowledge about CPS forms were found to reinforce CPS behaviour. CONCLUSION: Although data did not suggest that internalised or perceived weight bias deter women with obesity from undergoing CPS, the role of weight bias has not yet been conclusively clarified. Future studies should address potential methodological limitations and evaluate the effectiveness of most recently established cancer prevention programs and in particular how they affect CPS behaviour in women with obesity. AU - Bernard, M.* AU - Löbner, M.* AU - Lordick, F.* AU - Mehnert-Theuerkauf, A.* AU - Riedel-Heller, S.G.* AU - Luck-Sikorski, C. C1 - 67000 C2 - 53402 CY - Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9xw, England TI - Cancer prevention in females with and without obesity: Does perceived and internalised weight bias determine cancer prevention behaviour? JO - BMC Womens Health VL - 22 IS - 1 PB - Bmc PY - 2022 ER - TY - JOUR AB - BACKGROUND: Hysterectomy prevalence has been shown to vary by education level. Hysterectomy influences age at amenorrhoea. The aim of this study was to examine these associations in Germany within population-based data sets. METHODS: Baseline assessments in six population-based cohorts took place from 1997 through 2006 and included 9,548 women aged 20-84 years. All studies assessed hysterectomy history, school and professional degrees. Degrees were categorized into three levels each. Adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. RESULTS: Prevalences were higher in West Germany than East Germany, increased by age, and leveled off starting at 55-64 years. The age- and study-adjusted prevalence ratio (lowest versus highest school level) was 2.61 (95% CI: 1.28-5.30), 1.48 (95% CI: 1.21-1.81), and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.80-1.28) for women aged 20-45, 45-64, and 65 and more years respectively. The estimated adjusted prevalence ratios per one unit decrement of the educational qualification score (range 1 = lowest, 8 = highest) were 1.29 (95% CI: 1.02-1.64), 1.08 (95% CI: 1.04-1.12), and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.93-1.03) for women aged 20-44, 45-64, and 65-84 years respectively. Age at amenorrhoea was on average 6.2 years lower (43.5 years versus 49.7 years) among women with a history of hysterectomy than those without. CONCLUSIONS: Lower educational level was associated with a higher hysterectomy prevalence among women aged 20-64 years. Several mediators associated with educational level and hysterectomy including women's disease risk, women's treatment preference, and women's access to uterus-preserving treatment may explain this association. At population level, hysterectomy decreases the age of amenorrhoea on average by 6.2 years.   AU - Stang, A.* AU - Kluttig, A.* AU - Moebus, S.* AU - Völzke, H.* AU - Berger, K.* AU - Greiser, K.H.* AU - Stöckl, D. AU - Jöckel, K.-H.* AU - Meisinger, C. C1 - 29162 C2 - 31596 CY - London TI - Educational level, prevalence of hysterectomy, and age at amenorrhoea: A cross-sectional analysis of 9536 women from six population-based cohort studies in Germany. JO - BMC Womens Health VL - 14 IS - 1 PB - Biomed Central Ltd PY - 2014 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Background: Reproductive events may affect the onset of chronic diseases. We examined the possible association between reproductive parameters and intima media thickness (IMT) or carotid plaques in the common carotid artery in a population-based sample.Methods: This cross-sectional study analysed data of 800 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 81 years of the population-based KORA F4 study, conducted between 2006 and 2008 in Southern Germany. Reproductive parameters were obtained by standardised interviews.Results: Age at menarche below 12 years compared to 12-15 years was significantly associated with carotid plaques (age-adjusted OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.13-4.43, p-value 0.018, multivariable adjusted 2.11, 1.05-4.26, 0.037), but not with IMT. Ever use of hormone replacement therapy was inversely associated with carotid plaques (age-adjusted 0.60, 0.44-0.81, p = 0.001, multivariable-adjusted 0.62, 0.45-0.86, 0.003) and IMT in the age-adjusted model (mean 0.89, 95% CI 0.88-0.90, p = 0.033) but not in the multivariable-adjusted model (mean 0.89, 95% CI 0.88-0.90, p = 0.075). Parity, age at menopause, time since menopause, duration of fertile period, current use of hormone replacement therapy, ever use of oral contraceptives, hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, hot flashes and depressive mood in relation to the menopausal transition were not associated with carotid plaques or IMT.Conclusion: Our study showed, that there may be an independent association between the reproductive parameters age at menarche and ever use of hormone replacement therapy with carotid plaques in the common carotid artery, but not with IMT. Further research, especially in studies with prospective population-based study design, is necessary to assess in detail what events in women's life lead to increased IMT or CP. AU - Stöckl, D. AU - Peters, A. AU - Thorand, B. AU - Heier, M. AU - Koenig, W.* AU - Seissler, J. AU - Thiery, J.* AU - Rathmann, W.* AU - Meisinger, C. C1 - 30574 C2 - 33718 CY - London TI - Reproductive factors, intima media thickness and carotid plaques in a cross-sectional study of postmenopausal women enrolled in the population-based KORA F4 study. JO - BMC Womens Health VL - 14 IS - 1 PB - Biomed Central Ltd PY - 2014 ER -