Counseling, education, and screening can help
prevent or minimize the effects of many serious
health conditions. In 2004, females of all ages
made 535 million physician office visits. Of these
visits, 18.6 percent were for preventive care,
including prenatal care, screenings, and insurance
examinations.1
Routine Pap smears, which detect the early
signs of cervical cancer, are recommended within
3 years of initiation of sexual activity, or by age
21. In 2004, 5.3 percent of all physician visits
made by women aged 18 or older included a Pap
smear. This rate was higher among the younger
age groups, and occurred in 9.9 percent of office
visits made by women aged 18–24 years
compared to only 5.2 percent of visits by women
aged 45–64 and 1.2 percent of visits made by
women aged 65 years and older.
Among women 40 and older, 3.9 percent of all
office visits included a mammogram, which is
recommended every 1–2 years to screen for breast
cancer among this age group. The proportion of
office visits including a mammogram was highest
among the younger age groups: 5.6 and 5.7
percent of visits, respectively, among women aged
40–49 years and 50–59 years, compared to
1.7 percent among women 75 years and older.
Vaccination is another important preventive
measure. Vaccination for influenza is generally
recommended for young children, older adults,
and adults with chronic health conditions. In
2005, 60.5 percent of women aged 65 and older
reported receiving a flu vaccine in the past year.
Pneumonia vaccine is also recommended for
older adults and people with certain health
conditions. In 2005, almost 60 percent of women
aged 65 and older reported ever receiving the
vaccine. Non-Hispanic White women were most
likely to have ever received the pneumonia
vaccine (63.2 percent), compared to 28.5 percent
of Hispanic and 35.4 percent of Asian women.
>
HORIZONTAL BAR CHART: Women's Self-Report of Pap
Smears and Mammograms During Physician Office Visits, by Age, 2004
>
VERTICAL Bar CHART:Selected Vaccinations Received by Women, by Race/Ethnicity, 2005
|