Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning Approach

Abstract BackgroundBreast cancer screening plays a pivotal role in early detection and subsequent effective management of the disease, impacting patient outcomes and survival rates. ObjectiveThis study aims to assess breast cancer screening rates nationwide in the...

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Main Authors: Soheil Hashtarkhani, Yiwang Zhou, Fekede Asefa Kumsa, Shelley White-Means, David L Schwartz, Arash Shaban-Nejad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2025-01-01
Series:JMIR Cancer
Online Access:https://cancer.jmir.org/2025/1/e59882
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author Soheil Hashtarkhani
Yiwang Zhou
Fekede Asefa Kumsa
Shelley White-Means
David L Schwartz
Arash Shaban-Nejad
author_facet Soheil Hashtarkhani
Yiwang Zhou
Fekede Asefa Kumsa
Shelley White-Means
David L Schwartz
Arash Shaban-Nejad
author_sort Soheil Hashtarkhani
collection DOAJ
description Abstract BackgroundBreast cancer screening plays a pivotal role in early detection and subsequent effective management of the disease, impacting patient outcomes and survival rates. ObjectiveThis study aims to assess breast cancer screening rates nationwide in the United States and investigate the impact of social determinants of health on these screening rates. MethodsData on mammography screening at the census tract level for 2018 and 2020 were collected from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We developed a large-scale dataset of social determinants of health, comprising 13 variables for 72,337 census tracts. Spatial analysis employing Getis-Ord Gi statistics was used to identify clusters of high and low breast cancer screening rates. To evaluate the influence of these social determinants, we implemented a random forest model, with the aim of comparing its performance to linear regression and support vector machine models. The models were evaluated using R2 ResultsGeospatial analysis revealed elevated screening rates in the eastern and northern United States, while central and midwestern regions exhibited lower rates. The random forest model demonstrated superior performance, with an R2 ConclusionsThese findings underscore the significance of social determinants and the accessibility of mammography services in explaining the variability of breast cancer screening rates in the United States, emphasizing the need for targeted policy interventions in areas with relatively lower screening rates.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2369-1999
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series JMIR Cancer
spelling doaj-art-ea26a198a7314121b479dad0423b6f342025-01-27T02:33:23ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Cancer2369-19992025-01-0111e59882e5988210.2196/59882Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning ApproachSoheil Hashtarkhanihttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-7750-6294Yiwang Zhouhttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-8023-205XFekede Asefa Kumsahttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-6700-4810Shelley White-Meanshttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-3212-8060David L Schwartzhttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-7235-5586Arash Shaban-Nejadhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-2047-4759 Abstract BackgroundBreast cancer screening plays a pivotal role in early detection and subsequent effective management of the disease, impacting patient outcomes and survival rates. ObjectiveThis study aims to assess breast cancer screening rates nationwide in the United States and investigate the impact of social determinants of health on these screening rates. MethodsData on mammography screening at the census tract level for 2018 and 2020 were collected from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We developed a large-scale dataset of social determinants of health, comprising 13 variables for 72,337 census tracts. Spatial analysis employing Getis-Ord Gi statistics was used to identify clusters of high and low breast cancer screening rates. To evaluate the influence of these social determinants, we implemented a random forest model, with the aim of comparing its performance to linear regression and support vector machine models. The models were evaluated using R2 ResultsGeospatial analysis revealed elevated screening rates in the eastern and northern United States, while central and midwestern regions exhibited lower rates. The random forest model demonstrated superior performance, with an R2 ConclusionsThese findings underscore the significance of social determinants and the accessibility of mammography services in explaining the variability of breast cancer screening rates in the United States, emphasizing the need for targeted policy interventions in areas with relatively lower screening rates.https://cancer.jmir.org/2025/1/e59882
spellingShingle Soheil Hashtarkhani
Yiwang Zhou
Fekede Asefa Kumsa
Shelley White-Means
David L Schwartz
Arash Shaban-Nejad
Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning Approach
JMIR Cancer
title Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning Approach
title_full Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning Approach
title_fullStr Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning Approach
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning Approach
title_short Analyzing Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Screening Among Populations in the United States: Machine Learning Approach
title_sort analyzing geospatial and socioeconomic disparities in breast cancer screening among populations in the united states machine learning approach
url https://cancer.jmir.org/2025/1/e59882
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