TheScreening
Action Gap
Why U.S. WomenMiss Critical HealthScreenings

MEASURED BY

Regular health screenings play a vital role in improving
the health and well-being of women. Yet millions of womenin the U.S. go without essential screenings for cancers,
heart disease, sexually transmitted infections and otherkey health conditions.
This “Screening Action Gap” emerged as the main finding from a national survey thatGallup, a leading independent research firm, conducted for women’s health innovator
Hologic, Inc. to hear directly from women in the U.S. about their health experiences.1The poll builds on the annual Hologic Global Women’s Health Index, which statisticallyrepresents the voices of 97% of women and girls aged 15 and older.

A Troubling Gap
The survey revealed that while women across the U.S. overwhelmingly recognized
the importance of health screenings, many skipped or delayed them. We call this the“Screening Action Gap.”
The gap between understanding the importance of screenings and taking action was
most evident in screenings for three types of cancer – breast, cervical and colorectal– that together kill more than 70,000 women in the U.S. each year.2 The main reasonscited for skipping or delaying a recommended screening included anxiety about
medical tests, concerns about pain, financial cost, lack of time or simply not knowing
the screening was necessary.
Young women were especially likely to say anxiety and concerns about pain have
prevented them from getting health screenings. And compared with women of otherraces, Black women were much more likely to say screenings are very important tothem – and much less likely to say they have skipped or delayed a screening.
The survey also identified that lack of information, inadequate communication
with healthcare professionals and concerns about emotional health contributed tomissed screenings.

The survey revealed that while women across theU.S. overwhelmingly recognized the importance of
health screenings, many skipped or delayed them.
We call this the “Screening Action Gap.”

1. The Hologic-Gallup survey was conducted April 8-16, 2024 via a nationally representative web survey of 4,001 adult women in the U.S.
2. Source: American Cancer Society (https://cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org)© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

2

Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

The Screening Action Gap
Of the 4,001 women across the U.S. whom Gallup surveyed, 90% said healthscreenings are important to them. But 43% said they had skipped or delayeda screening recommended by a healthcare professional at some point.
Nine in 10 women (90%) said it’s very or somewhat important to them thatthey regularly get screened to prevent diseases or other health problems.

63% 27%very important

43%
of women say they haveskipped or delayed ahealth screening

8%2%somewhat important

not tooimportant
not at allimportant

53%

4%

say they
have notdon’tknow

That means

tens of millions
of womenin the U.S. have skipped or delayeda recommended health screening.

© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

3

Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

These skipped and delayed screenings were often for serious,
life-threatening conditions.
Survey respondents were most likely to say they have skipped or delayed a screening forbreast, cervical or colorectal cancer.
Breast cancer

41%

Cervical cancer

35%

Colorectal cancer

33%

Other11%

Osteoporosis

11%

Diabetes

9%

Skin cancer

9%

STIs

9%

Cholesterol

8%

Heart disease6%

Why did women skip or delay screenings?
Women who had skipped or delayed a recommended health screening were most likely to
say they did so due to anxiety about medical tests, concerns about pain, financial cost, lackof time or not believing a screening was necessary specifically for them.

It wasn’t that important ornecessary to me

24%

I did not have time

20%

I have anxiety aboutgetting medical tests

20%

I was concerned about pain or
discomfort from the procedure

17%

I couldn’t afford it

16%

I didn’t know if it was covered,or it wasn’t covered by insurance11%

I have had a negative experience
with being screened or tested

11%

I missed my appointment anddid not reschedule11%© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

4Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

Adult Gen Z Women
Young women were especially likely to say anxiety
and concerns about pain have prevented them fromgetting timely health screenings.
Among women who have skipped or delayed a recommended screening,
adult Gen Z women (age 18-26) were much more likely than women of older
generations to say it was due to anxiety about getting medical tests orbecause they were concerned about pain or discomfort from the procedure.

Percentage of women who skipped or delayed a recommended screening
due to anxiety about getting medical tests, by generation

39%
Adult Gen Z(18-26)

23%

18%

15%

Millennials(27-42)Gen X(43-58)

Boomers
Silent(59-77) Generation(78+)

4%Percentage of women who skipped or delayed a recommended screening because
they were concerned about pain or discomfort from the procedure, by generation

30%
Adult Gen Z(18-26)© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

518%

14%

14%

13%

Millennials(27-42)Gen X(43-58)

Boomers(59-77)

SilentGeneration(78+)

Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

Black Women
Black women highly valued health screenings.
Compared with women of other races, Black women were much more
likely to say regular health screenings are very important to them.

79%Black women

63%
66%
58%

HispanicwomenAsian
women
whitewomenBlack women were also much less likely than
women of other races to say they have skipped
or delayed a recommended screening.

27%
Black women© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

641%
47%
47%

Hispanic
women
Asian
women
whitewomen

Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

What Contributes to the Screening Action Gap?
The Hologic-Gallup survey shed light on three key factors: lack of information, lack ofcommunication with healthcare professionals and concerns about emotional health.

1. Lack of Information
Many women simply aren’t sure about what health screenings they need. In fact, only aboutfour in 10 women – and about one-quarter of adult Gen Z and Millennial women – said they
are “very confident” in their knowledge of what screenings they need based on their age
and personal risk factors.

Women’s confidence in their knowledge about the health screenings they need42%

very
confident

43%

12%

somewhat confident

not toonotconfident confident
at all4%

Beyond screening, many women said they struggle to find relevant,useful health information. For example, three in 10 adult Gen Z womenand one in four Millennials – generations that grew up online –said it’s hard for them to find the health information they need.

Percentage of women who said it’s hard for them to find the health information
they need, by generation

31%
Adult Gen Z(18-26)© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

724%

16%

12%

8%

Millennials(27-42)Gen X(43-58)

Boomers(59-77)

SilentGeneration(78+)

Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

By a wide margin, women said their most used and trusted
sources of health information are healthcare professionals.
By
a wide margin, women say their most used and trusted sources
Many women also said they both use and trust health websites such asofhealth
WebMD.cominformation
and CDC.gov. are their own medical providers.
Most used

Most trusted

Healthcare
professionals

72%
54%

Health websites
Friends or family

32%

Healthcare
professionals

88%
79%

Hospitals and medical
research institutions

64%

Health websites

Most women said they do not trust influencers or other public figures on social media
to provide accurate health information.

1%

67%

trust completely

28%
trust a little

don’t trust at all4%mostly trust

However,whenwomen
did turn doto social
TikTokwas their
top choice:
28%of allHowever,whenwomen
turn media,
to socialmedia,
TikTokis their
topchoice –womenwhousesocialmedia
forhealthinformationand55%ofadultGenZwomen
28% of all women who use social media for health information, andsaid
55% of
TikTok is the social media platform they use most often to get health information.

adult Gen Z women, say TikTok is the social media platform they use mostoften to get health information.
TikTok

28%
55%
21%

FacebookYouTube

6%
16%

All ages

11%

Adult Gen Z (18-26)

12%Instagram

11%3%

X© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

0%

8Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

2. Lack of Communication with Healthcare Professionals
Women who have talked with a healthcare professional about screening for a disease or condition were significantly more
likely to report having been screened. But often, these crucial conversations aren’t taking place. For example, among
women ages 35 and over – the recommended age group for skin cancer screening – only about half said they havespoken to a healthcare professional about getting screened for skin cancer, and even fewer have been screened.

only49%and onlyof women have talked to ahealthcare professional about
screening for skin cancer

45%

of womenhave been
screened

Although Black women recognize the importance of healthscreenings, they were often less likely than white women to havetalked with a healthcare professional about key screenings.
The gap in Black women’s discussions with their providers about screenings could
be attributed to various reasons having to do with the lack of relationship or thepatient’s perceptions of the provider’s or health institution’s untrustworthiness.3
For example, among women ages 25 and older – the recommended screening
age for cervical cancer – Black women were less likely than white women tohave spoken with a healthcare professional about cervical cancer screening.
Black women also were less likely to have been screened.
Percentage of women who have spoken with a healthcare professional about
cervical cancer screening, by race

67%

72%

74%

72%

Blackwomen

Hispanicwomen

Asianwomenwhitewomen

Percentage of women who have been screened for cervical cancer, by race

76%

79%

75%

87%

Blackwomen

Hispanicwomen

Asianwomenwhitewomen

3. Source: pewresearch.org/science/2022/04/07/black-americans-views-about-health-disparities-experiences-with-health-care/© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

9Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

3. Emotional Health
Strikingly, more than six in 10 women – and three-quarters of women with children in theirhome – said it is hard to make their health a top priority.

63%
of women

75%of women withchildren under 18in their homeWhy is it so difficult for women to prioritize their health?
Among women who said it’s hard to make their health a top priority, the top twobarriers were feeling overwhelmed and their emotional health.

72% 60%It feels too overwhelming.

My mental or emotional
health gets in the way.

In other words, for many women, concerns about emotional health stand in theway of making their overall health a priority – a dynamic that can lead to serious
consequences like missing essential health screenings.

© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

10Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

Where Do We Go
from Here?

The Screening Action
Gap revealed by thissurvey has serious
health consequences
for women.

Our survey explored three key
factors that contribute to thegap – lack of information, lackof communication with healthcare
professionals and concerns about
emotional health.
But many other factors also drive this disconnect,
including lack of access to high-quality healthcare,costs of screening and other care, mistrust of the
medical system and other unmet social needs.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution; collaborationis needed from stakeholders across sectors toensure all women get the screenings and carethey need and deserve.
For more information about theHologic-Gallup survey, please visit
WomensHealthIndex.com/Hologic-US-Health-Survey.

© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.

11Hologic U.S. Health Survey | The Screening Action Gap

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For more information about this research, please visit
WomensHealthIndex.com/Hologic-US-Health-Survey or contact womenshealthindex@hologic.com© 2024 Hologic, Inc. All rights expressly reserved.
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