43% of women in the U.S. have skipped or delayed recommended health screenings despite widespread recognition that they are important, a new survey shows.

Why it's important: Extensive research has proven that regular health screenings save lives and help patients avoid less intensive treatment thanks to earlier detection and treatment of disease.

● Worth a mention: The new survey comes as rates of some cancers have risen, including among younger women.

The deets: Hologic Inc., a women's health innovator, partnered with Gallup to conduct a nationally representative survey of 4,001 U.S. women.

● This complements the annual Hologic Global Women's Health Index, which highlights the state of women's health worldwide.

What you need to know: The gap between the 90% of women seeing regular health screenings as important and 43% who have missed or delayed screenings at some point, referred to as the "Screening Action Gap," was most evident for life-threatening conditions like breast, cervical and colon cancers.

Key numbers: Among women who reported skipping or delaying a screening:

● 41% said breast cancer.

● 35% said cervical cancer.

● 33% said colon cancer.

The reasons: Women surveyed often said they skipped or delayed a screening due to not knowing a screening was necessary or important for them (24%), anxiety about tests (20%), lack of time (20%) or concerns about pain or discomfort (17%).

● Young women, particularly adult Gen Z (ages 18-26), were even more likely to report anxiety and concerns about pain as a barrier.

● Compared with women of other races, Black women were much more likely to say regular health screenings are very important to them; they were also much less likely to say they have skipped or delayed a recommended screening.

Plus, plus, plus: The survey highlighted three key factors contributing to the Screening Action Gap.

1. Lack of information

Only four in 10 women said they are "very confident" in their knowledge of what screenings they need based on age and personal risk factors.

The challenge: Many women said they struggle to find relevant, useful health information. This was especially true for younger women.

● Three in 10 adult Gen Z women and just under one in four Millennials said it's hard for them to find the health info they need.

2. Lack of communication with healthcare professionals

Women who discussed screenings with healthcare professionals were more likely to get screened. But these critical conversations often do not occur.

An example: Among women ages 25 and over – the recommended screening age for cervical cancer – Black women (67%) were less likely than white women (72%) to have spoken with a healthcare professional about cervical cancer screening. Black women also were less likely to have been screened.

3. Emotional health

63% of women, including 75% of women with children in their homes, said they struggle to make their health a top priority.

● Here's why: 72% of these women cite feeling overwhelmed as a top barrier; 60% cite concerns about emotional health.

The impact: Missing critical screenings can lead to serious health consequences.

The takeaway: Collaboration is needed across the healthcare ecosystem to ensure all women get the screenings and care they need and deserve.

Learn more.