Dense Breast Notification Laws, Education, and Women’s Awareness and Knowledge of Breast Density: a Nationally Representative Survey

Background To date, 38 states have enacted dense breast notification (DBN) laws mandating that mammogram reports include language informing women of risks related to dense breast tissue. Objective Nationally representative survey to assess the association between residing in a state with a DBN law and women’s awareness and knowledge about breast density, and breast cancer anxiety. Design Internet survey conducted in 2018 with participants in KnowledgePanel®, an online research panel. Participants English-speaking US women ages 40–59 years without a personal history of breast cancer who had received at least one screening mammogram ( N = 1928; survey completion rate 68.2%). Main Measures (1) Reported history of increased breast density, (2) knowledge of the increased risk of breast cancer with dense breasts, (3) knowledge of the masking effect of dense breasts on mammography, and (4) breast cancer anxiety. Key Results Women residing in DBN states were more likely to report increased breast density (43.6%) compared with women residing in non-DBN states (32.7%, p