Meeting the mammography screening needs of underserved women: the performance of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in 2002-2003 (United States).
OBJECTIVE
To examine the extent to which the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (Program) has helped to meet the mammography screening needs of underserved women.


METHODS
Low-income, uninsured women aged 40-64 are eligible for free mammography screening through the Program. We used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to estimate the number of women eligible for services. We obtained the number of women receiving Program-funded mammograms from the Program. We then calculated the percentage of eligible women who received mammograms through the Program.


RESULTS
In 2002-2003, of all U.S. women aged 40-64, approximately 4 million (8.5%) had no health insurance and had a family income below 250% of the federal poverty level, meeting Program eligibility criteria. Of these women, 528,622 (13.2%) received a Program-funded mammogram. Rates varied substantially by race and ethnicity. The percentage of eligible women screened in each state ranged from about 2% to approximately 79%.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the Program provided screening services to over a half-million low-income, uninsured women for mammography, it served a small percentage of those eligible. Given that in 2003 more than 2.3 million uninsured, low-income, women aged 40-64 did not receive recommended mammograms from either the Program or other sources, there remains a substantial need for services for this historically underserved population.
Tangka
Florence K L
FK
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Dalaker
Joseph
J
Chattopadhyay
Sajal K
SK
Gardner
James G
JG
Royalty
Janet
J
Hall
Ingrid J E
IJ
DeGroff
Amy
A
Blackman
Donald K
DK
Coates
Ralph J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology; D002202:Capital Financing / Q000191:economics; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000191:economics; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011203:Poverty / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology; D015397:Program Evaluation; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000208:ethnology; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology