About one-third of socially vulnerable women missing recommended mammograms, CDC says

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Thousands of women between ages 50 and 74 are not receiving life-saving mammograms, according to new federal data.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the prevalence of mammography use over a two-year period, in a report published Tuesday.

Mammography use varied by state and sociodemographics, but the study found the more health-related social needs (HRSNs) a woman had, the less likely she was to get a mammogram.

Social isolation, life dissatisfaction, lost or reduced hours of employment, being on food stamps, lack of reliable public transportation and cost barriers were all associated with not having had a mammogram within the previous two years.

HRSNs are barriers that impact a person’s health or health care access with examples including food insecurity and lack of access to reliable transportation. These are sometimes referred to as social determinants of health (SDOHs).

For women between ages 50 and 74, mammography prevalence was 83.2% for women with no adverse SDOHs or HRSNs. However, among women in that age bracket with three or more SDOHs or HRSNs, the prevalence was 65.7%.

Social isolation, life dissatisfaction, lost or reduced hours of employment, being on food stamps, lack of reliable public transportation and cost barriers were all associated with not having had a mammogram within the previous two years.

The authors said this was consistent with findings from previous studies showing associations between lower mammography use and HRSNs, including lower educational attainment and income, not having a usual source of health care and being uninsured.

“We have to address these health-related social needs to help women get the mammograms they need,” CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry said in a statement. “Identifying these challenges and coordinating efforts between health care, social services, community organizations, and public health to help address these needs could improve efforts to increase breast cancer screening and ultimately save these tragic losses to families.”

Breast cancer causes more than 40,000 deaths among women in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. Breast cancer death rates have been decreasing, but the report noted this has not been equitable across all groups. For example, Black women and women with low incomes are more likely to die from breast cancer.