TABLE 1—

Receipt of Preventive Services for Nonelderly Adults (Aged 18–64 Years) by Income: 2005–2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, United States

Preventive Service	Target Population	Screening Interval	All Incomes, %	< 400% of the FPL,a %	≥ 400% of the FPL,a %	Percentage Point Difference
Routine checkup	Adults aged 18–64 y	Every year	57.7	53.0	65.1	12.1*
Cholesterol check	Adults aged 18–64 y	Every 5 y	74.5	68.0	84.8	16.8*
Blood pressure checkb	Adults aged 18–64 y	Every 2 y	88.7	85.6	94.1	8.5*
Pap test	Women aged 21–64 y	Every 3 y	86.1	83.1	91.0	7.9*
Mammogram	Women aged 50–64 y	Every 2 y	78.3	70.6	86.9	16.3*
Breast examination	Women aged 18–64 y	Every year	64.3	58.7	73.7	15.0*
Flu vaccination	Adults aged 18–64 y	Every year	28.1	24.1	34.6	10.5*
Colon cancer screening	Adults aged 50–64 y	Colonoscopy every 10 y, blood stool test every year, or a flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 y and a blood stool test every 3 y	49.9	42.6	57.4	14.8*

Note. FPL = federal poverty level; Pap = Papanicolaou. Target populations and screening intervals are consistent with Healthy People 2020 guidelines. The American Cancer Society’s (ACS’s) screening recommendations vary from the Healthy People 2020 guidelines used in this article in some nontrivial ways. The ACS recommends yearly mammograms, beginning at age 40 years, whereas the Healthy People goal is for women aged ≥ 50 years to receive the screening every 2 years. The Healthy People recommendation for breast examinations is once a year, starting at age 18 years, whereas the ACS recommends a breast examination every 3 years for women aged 20–39 years and every year for women aged ≥ 40. The guidelines for colorectal cancer screenings are identical between the 2 organizations, although the ACS includes double-contrast barium enema every 5 years, virtual colonoscopy every 5 years, or fecal immunochemical test every year in its list of effective screening options. The recommendations for cervical cancer are the same in both sets of guidelines.

^aFPL was determined by using the Department of Health and Human Services poverty thresholds.

^bBlood pressure check is only available for 2008–2010.

*P ≤ .05 for difference between < 400% FPL and ≥ 400% FPL.