Breast cancer screening utilization and understanding of current guidelines among rural U.S. women with private insurance

Women living in rural areas of the U.S. face disparities in screening mammography and breast cancer outcomes. We sought to evaluate utilization of mammography, awareness of screening guidelines, and attitudes towards screening among rural insured U.S. women. We conducted a cross-sectional self-administered anonymous survey among 2000 women aged 40–64 insured by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a non-profit insurer for electrical utility workers in predominantly rural areas across the U.S. Outcomes included mammographic screening in the past year, screening interval, awareness of guidelines, and perceived barriers to screening. 1588 women responded to the survey (response rate 79.4 %). 74 % of respondents lived in a rural area. Among women aged 40–49, 66.5 % reported mammographic screening in the past year. 46 % received annual screening, 32 % biennial screening, and 22 % rare/no screening. Among women aged 50–64, 77.1 % reported screening in the past year. 63 % received annual screening, 25 % biennial screening, and 12 % rare/no screening. The majority of women (98 %) believed that the mammography can find breast cancer early and save lives. Less than 1 % of younger women, and only 14 % of women over age 50 identified the recommendations of the U.S. Preventative Services Screening Task Force as the current expert recommendations for screening. Screening practices tended to follow perceived guideline recommendations. When rural U.S. women over age 40 have insurance, most receive breast cancer screening. The screening guidelines of cancer advocacy groups and specialty societies appear more influential and widely recognized than those of the U.S. preventative services taskforce.