BACKGROUND Two approaches were designed for low-income women to promote their use of mammography screening. METHODS During 1995-96, as part of a community outreach project in a Florida city, 1,157 women aged 45 years or older attended group education sessions on breast cancer screening, while another 1,450 participated in one-on-one talks about screening at display tables in various public places. County mammography registry data were used to assess changes in the use of mammography screening. RESULTS Among women 55 years old or older, especially whites, the one-on-one approach was more often associated with subsequent mammography screening than was the group approach. African American women and Latina women appeared to benefit more from the group approach than from the one-on-one approach. CONCLUSIONS Group or one-on-one breast cancer screening education can improve screening behaviors among low-income women, depending on the age and ethnicity of the women targeted.