Among 20.1 million women aged 40-49 years, only 59.2% underwent biennial mammography screening, with significantly lower rates observed in racial and ethnic minority populations, sexual minority populations, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. The absence of a usual place for care was strongly associated with both overdue and no mammography screening.

"To optimize early breast cancer detection, ensuring equitable adherence to USPSTF recommendations is crucial. To reduce racial disparities in breast cancer mortality, efforts should focus on addressing delays and ensuring guideline-concordant treatment," the authors of the study wrote.

This study was led by Tianshu Gu, MD, College of Graduate Health Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee. It was published online on December 20 in JAMA Network Open.

According to the authors, this study was limited by data collection occurring during a period when biennial mammography screening was considered an individual decision rather than a recommendation for all women aged 40-49 years.

This study received support from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (Award No. R0IMD018766 to Gu; Shelley White-Means, PhD; and Minghui Li, PhD). The authors reported no conflicts of interest.