Our team contributed to a new cross-sectional analysis of more than 3,100 U.S. counties, which examined how breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates have changed over the past two decades. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and National Health Interview Survey, we found that overall cancer screening has increased across the country — but geographic disparities remain.
Screening rates were consistently highest in the Northeast and lowest in the Southwest. Although spatial clustering has weakened over time (for example, mammography’s Moran’s I dropped from 0.57 in 1997–1999 to 0.10 in 2017–2019), pockets of low screening persist. Encouragingly, some low–socioeconomic-status areas improved from low to high screening levels, particularly for breast and cervical cancer.
The findings highlight progress toward equal access to screening, but emphasize that local disparities endure. Future efforts should focus on understanding health care access barriers in persistently low-screening regions to ensure all communities benefit from preventive cancer care.
Read the paper here.