Kansas Study Links Redlining to Cancer Screening Gaps

Researchers find that communities once subject to restrictive housing policies continue to face barriers to mammography.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Cancer

Isometric editorial illustration showing a clean, text-free mobile health bus parked on a quiet street in a wide, open landscape. — A University of Kansas study found that neighborhoods historically subjected to redlining policies experience lower rates of breast cancer screenings today. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do historic investment policies still negatively impact the quality of healthcare access in your community?

A retrospective study covering data from 2016 to 2024 reveals that residents in neighborhoods historically subjected to redlining show 6% lower odds of receiving breast cancer screenings. The University of Kansas Cancer Center research highlights lingering disparities in healthcare access across 1,152 studied census tracts.

Why it matters

The findings suggest that historical housing policies from the 1930s continue to influence modern public health outcomes by embedding systemic barriers. Understanding these roots helps institutions design more effective outreach to improve screening uptake in underserved areas.

Researchers studied 1,152 census tracts where the median screening rate reached 76.3%, yet 84.4% of these areas remain below the Healthy People 2030 goal of 80.3%. Poverty and education levels were found to mediate these disparities.

The players

University of Kansas Cancer Center

This institution serves as the primary academic medical center conducting the research and managing the mobile mammography outreach.

Home Owners' Loan Corporation

This federal agency was established in the 1930s to stabilize real estate markets and is responsible for creating the neighborhood grading maps used in the study.

The details

The analysis compared current screening behaviors against neighborhood grades assigned by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s, which were outlawed by the 1968 Fair Housing Act. To combat these trends, the University of Kansas has deployed mobile mammogram buses to reach populations in areas with historically lower screening participation.

The Home Owners' Loan Corporation assigned neighborhood grades during the 1930s.
The 1968 Fair Housing Act made the practice of redlining illegal.
Researchers analyzed data collected between 2016 and 2024 for the study.
Breast cancer screening rates experienced a decline throughout 2024.

The Big Picture

The study evaluates local performance relative to the Healthy People 2030 screening goal, which sets a national standard for breast cancer detection participation. This analysis shows that most studied census tracts fall below this federally recognized benchmark for preventative care.

Residents in historically redlined neighborhoods may face greater barriers to routine preventative care, including mammograms. The University of Kansas is working to improve access by bringing mobile clinics directly into these communities to offset historical disparities.

The takeaway

Historical housing policies continue to shape contemporary health outcomes, making targeted outreach essential for closing gaps in preventative care. Patients in these areas are encouraged to utilize mobile health services to ensure they receive critical screenings.