The incidence of breast cancer among domestic and international flight attendants

Date

8/30/2001

Authors

Spira, Judy B.

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the incidence of breast cancer is different between female flight attendants and women in the U.S. population, and between domestic and international flight attendants. The sample used for this study was full and part-time employed flight attendants at commercial airlines in the United States. The instrument used to collect data for the study consisted of the Spira Online Flight Attendant Survey (SOFAS), available in an online and printable version, developed by the researcher. Participants were profiled based on age, gender, ethnicity, menarche, age at first child's birth, clinical diagnosis of breast cancer, unilateral or bilateral mastectomy, and first-degree relative history of breast cancer. Flight variables considered were Flight Schedule, Type of Aircraft, Average Hours Flown per Month, Flight Duration and Altitude, and Base City. A total of 414 completed surveys, 190 responses from domestic flight attendants (45.9%) and 224 international flight attendants (54.1%) were used for the data analyses. The results of the study indicated there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of breast cancer between domestic and international flight attendants.

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Keywords

Health and environmental sciences, Breast Cancer, Flight attendants

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