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Racial differences in no-show rates for screening mammography
Whitney L Hensing1, Steven P Poplack2, Cheryl R Herman2
1Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Cancer
|April 1, 2021
Summary
African American women are more likely to miss screening mammography appointments. This finding highlights a potential barrier to breast cancer screening for this population, necessitating targeted interventions to improve attendance rates.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Breast cancer mortality is higher in African American (AA) women compared to non-Hispanic White women.
- Differences in screening mammography utilization may contribute to this disparity.
- The impact of missed screening mammography appointments (no-shows) on this disparity is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate racial differences in no-show rates for screening mammography.
- To determine if African American race is associated with a higher likelihood of missing mammography appointments.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed.
- Data were collected from women scheduled for screening mammograms between January and March 2018.
- Patients who no-showed were compared to those who completed their appointments, with race as a primary variable of interest.
Main Results:
- The overall no-show rate for screening mammography was 6.2%.
- African American women were significantly more likely to be no-shows compared to other women (OR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.90-3.67).
- This association remained significant even after adjusting for factors like marital status, insurance, and residence.
Conclusions:
- A notable percentage of women miss their scheduled screening mammograms, with a 6.2% no-show rate observed.
- African American race is independently associated with an increased likelihood of no-showing for screening mammography.
- These findings can inform targeted strategies to improve mammography attendance among African American women.
