Why 43% of Women in the US Skip Health Screenings: Gallup Survey Insights
A new survey by Gallup revealed that 43% of women in the US skip or delay recommended health screenings. Let’s talk about it!
For starters (bc I know you have questions!), the survey was conducted by Gallup for @hologic, a medical testing company. In 2020, Hologic and Gallup launched the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index “in response to the urgent need for more timely, comprehensive and actionable data on global women’s health.”
This survey includes responses from 4,001 women in the US.
Although 43% of respondents skipped their screenings, 90% believe health screenings are important. Of this, 63% believe they’re “very important,” while 27% say they’re “somewhat important.”
Black women were more likely to value health screenings and less likely to skip or delay health screenings compared to women of other races.
42% of respondents were “very confident” about what screenings they needed.
Top skipped or delayed screenings include:
- Breast Cancer (41%)
- Cervical Cancer (35%)
- Colorectal Cancer (33%)
- Other (11%)
- Osteoporosis (11%)
- Diabetes (9%)
- Skin Cancer (9%)
- STIs (9%)
- Cholesterol (8%)
- Heart Disease (6%)
Top reasons for skipping or declining screenings:
- Not important (24%)
- No time (20%)
- Testing anxiety (20%)
- Pain (17%)
- Cost (16%)
- Lack of coverage (11%)
- Negative experiences (11%)
- Missed appointment (11%)
Gen Z women (18-26) were more likely than other generations to skip or delay screenings due to anxiety and pain concerns.
There’s a lot more to unpack than these slides will cover, so I’ll continue sharing more this week! What are your initial reactions? Do any of these results and responses surprise you? Do you relate? What questions do you have?