October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that always tends to raise concerns among women about their health.
But, according to Health Testing Center's team's analysis of the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1 in 3 women have never had a mammogram. The team dove deeper, performing state-level analysis for other screening tests like HPV and PAP tests. NM stood out:
- NM ranked 9th worst for women meeting American Cancer Society mammogram recommendations (54.1%).
- NM also ranked toward the bottom, 17th worst, for meeting PAP test recommendations (79.1%).
- NM ranked in the middle of the pack for HPV test recommendations, 22nd overall (82.2%).
(While the numbers for PAP and HPV tests could improve, nearly 1 in 2 NM women not meeting mammogram recommendations is way too many. Considering October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there’s no better time to increase awareness.)