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Disparities related to socioeconomic status and access to medical care remain in the United States among women who never had a mammogram

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Abstract

Objective: This study examined whether disparities in mammography use between women of differing socioeconomic status (SES; income and education) and varying access to medical care (healthcare insurance and routine medical check-up) remained over time despite overall increased breast cancer screening. Methods: Analysis of changes over time were made using data from the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 53,846 women 50–69 years of age. Women who reported that they never had a mammogram were compared with those who ever had a mammogram. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine whether and to what extent disparities between subgroups of women changed over time. Results: The percentage of women 50–69 years of age who had never had a mammogram declined 65% from 22.1% in 1992 to 7.7% in 2000. Racial and ethnic differences in mammography prevalence disappeared over time. However, disparities among women of differing SES and among those with varying access to medical care remained based on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Despite a substantial reduction in the proportion of women who had never had a mammogram among women 50–69 years of age from 1992 to 2000, disparities in use of mammography among the various population subgroups persisted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Health Behavior Research, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 4444 Forest Park Parkway, Box 8504, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA

    Mario Schootman

  2. The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA

    Mario Schootman, Donna B. Jeffe, Anat H. Reschke & Rebecca L. Aft

  3. Division of Health Behavior Research, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, USA

    Donna B. Jeffe & Anat H. Reschke

  4. Section of Surgical Oncology and Endocrinology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, USA

    Rebecca L. Aft

  5. John Crochran VA Medical Center, Saint Louis, MO, USA

    Rebecca L. Aft

Authors
  1. Mario Schootman
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  2. Donna B. Jeffe
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  3. Anat H. Reschke
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  4. Rebecca L. Aft
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Correspondence to Mario Schootman.

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Schootman, M., Jeffe, D.B., Reschke, A.H. et al. Disparities related to socioeconomic status and access to medical care remain in the United States among women who never had a mammogram. Cancer Causes Control 14, 419–425 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024941626748

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