Background: This study compared mammography rates in Arkansas, based on race and age, to identify any disparities in obtaining mammography.
Methods: The Arkansas Mammography Data Collection Project contained data on 133,549 women, 87,680 of them aged 40 to 64 and 45,869 aged 65 years or older. Race data were available on 64,526 women. Mammography rates were compared by patient age and race.
Results: Women aged 65 years and older were less likely to obtain mammograms than younger women: 21.67% versus 23.30%. Mammograms were more likely to be classified as diagnostic in older women and as screening in younger women. Older African American women were less likely to obtain mammograms than younger women of the same race (7.23% vs 8.02%), while older white women were more likely to obtain mammograms than younger white women (11.64% vs 11.31%). African Americans were less likely to obtain mammograms in both age groups.
Conclusions: Older African American women are less likely to obtain mammograms than white and younger women. The reasons for this disparity warrant further evaluation.