FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences conducted a study that found Black and Hispanic women are more likely than white women to receive routine breast cancer screenings.

The study conducted at the UAMS Office of Community Health & Research attributed this to a variety of factors, including increased outreach and increased access to community health workers who can help women find healthcare services, a release said.

“While strides have been made in closing the gap among racial and ethnic minority women, women living in poverty and those living in rural areas are still less likely to receive routine mammograms,” the release states.

One out of every eight U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and Black women have a higher chance than white women of developing breast cancer before the age of 40, according to the American Cancer Society. 

Arkansas is among the 15 U.S. states with the lowest mammogram rates, according to the National Cancer Institute, with approximately 82% of Black women and 74% of white women having received routine mammograms in 2020, the news release states.

More information can be found by connecting with community health workers.