| Demographic Group: | Resident females aged >=40 years. |
| Numerator: | Female respondents aged >=40 years who report having had a mammogram within the previous 2 years. |
| Denominator: | Female respondents aged >=40 years who report ever having or never having had a mammogram (excluding unknowns and refusals). |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual prevalence — crude and age-adjusted (standardized by the direct method to the year 2000 standard U.S. population, distribution 15*) — with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Previous 2 years. |
| Background: | In 2000, a total of 18% of women aged >=40 years had not had a mammogram within the previous 2 years. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Female breast cancer caused approximately 40,200 deaths in 2001. Approximately 211,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed annually. |
| Significance: | Mammography screening with or without clinical breast examination can reduce breast cancer deaths by 16% among women aged >=40 years; risk reduction is greater among women aged >=50 years. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | Recommendations for mammography screening are not always consistent among national groups. |
| Data Resources: | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS).
http://statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/risk/risk.html |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | As with all self-reported sample surveys, BRFSS data might be subject to systematic error resulting from noncoverage (e.g., lower telephone coverage among populations of low socioeconomic status), nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | 3-13: Increase the proportion of women aged >=40 years who have received a mammogram within the preceding 2 years. |
