Introduction: To develop more culturally appropriate and effective intervention strategies, this qualitative study explored Korean American women's barriers to mammography and their coping strategies within their sociocultural context. Methodology: Semistructured individual interviews were conducted with 30 Korean American women in 2016. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data and identify themes. Results: Four themes and their associated subthemes emerged from the data: (1) barriers to accessing mammography (cost, time consuming and complicated procedure, and language barriers), (2) psychosocial concerns related to mammography (pain, discomfort and embarrassment, and exposure to radiation), (3) strategies to access mammography (identifying ways to get a cost-free mammogram and having procedure done in home country), and (4) ways to deal with psychosocial concerns (being positive and avoiding or postponing the procedures). Discussion: Health professionals should account for cultural differences including, but not limited to, patients' concerns, access to care, and beliefs surrounding screening processes.
Keywords: Korean Americans; barriers; breast cancer screening; coping strategies; mammography; qualitative study.