LAUSR

Understanding environmental predictors of women’s use of closest breast screening venue versus other site(s) may assist optimal venue placement. This study assessed relationships between residential-area sociodemographic measures, venue location features, and women’s use of closest versus other venues. Data of 320,672 Greater Sydney screening attendees were spatially joined to residential state suburbs (SSCs) (n = 799). SSC-level sociodemographic measures included proportions of: women speaking English at home; university-educated; full-time employed; and dwellings with motor-vehicles. A geographic information system identified each woman’s closest venue to home, and venue co-location with bus-stop, train-station, hospital, general practitioner, and shop(s). Multilevel logistic models estimated associations between environmental measures and closest venue attendance. Attendance at closest venue was 59.4%. Closest venue attendance was positively associated with SSC-level women speaking English but inversely associated with SSC-level women university-educated, full-time employed, and dwellings with motor-vehicles. Mobile venue co-location with general practitioner and shop was positively, but co-location with bus-stop and hospital was inversely associated with attendance. Attendance was positively associated with fixed venue co-location with train-station and hospital but inversely associated with venue co-location with bus-stop, general practitioner, and shop. Program planners should consider these features when optimising service locations to enhance utilisation. Some counterintuitive results necessitate additional investigation.