Sociodemographic Disparities in Mammography Screening in Australia

Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in Australia, resulting in substantial implications for personal and public health. It has been shown that breast cancer is one of the few cancers for which there is evidence of mortality and morbidity reduction due to early screening. For this reason, mammography screening for breast cancer is recommended as the health outcomes gained offsets the costs and risks associated with screening. The BreastScreen program is a Commonwealth Government funded program actively recruiting women aged 50-69 for mammography screening every 2 years. National attendance rates for breast cancer screening are below the target, the population sub sets that access the service less corresponding to those with lower breast cancer survival. Women of lower socioeconomic status tend to access mammography services less frequently, the proposed reasons linked to income, education, transport, language, literacy and poor health. It has also been found that these trends are consistent, not just for individual socioeconomic status, but according to the area a woman is living in. Women living in an area of higher poverty are less likely to access mammography. This review examines the literature relating to equity in access by socioeconomic status to screening mammography uptake in Australia. The literature demonstrates inequities in mammography screening access resulting in inequities in breast cancer outcomes for women of low socioeconomic status. In order to achieve equity in women's health, improvements in breast cancer outcomes from early detection and treatment should be shared equitably across the population, including all socioeconomic groups.