OBJECTIVES: Current knowledge of screening and preventive practices among women in the United States is incomplete. This study examines current national estimates for flu and pneumonia shots, colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy, mammograms, and Pap tests among women in the United States by race/ethnicity. METHODS: Cross-sectional observational study design. Analysis of nationally representative data collected from women participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007- 2008 (total women aged 20 years and older, n=3025; non-Hispanic white, n = 1366; non-Hispanic black, n= 639; Hispanic, n=902; other races, n=118). RESULTS: Black and Hispanic women 50 years and older are significantly less likely to receive a flu shot than white women, 45.4% (p<0.0001) and 43.3% (p<0.0001) versus 56.7%, respectively. 55.1% of women of other races have received a flu shot in the past year.  White women had the highest rate of pneumonia vaccination (42.7%) and black, Hispanic and other women had significantly lower coverage; 34.0% (p<0.0001), 28.1% (p<0.0001), and 29.6% (p<0.0001), respectively. The highest screening rate for colon cancer is among white women (56.2%), followed by black women (51.3%, p=0.0005), women of other races (43.5%, p<0.0001), and Hispanic women (39.2%, p<0.0001).  Age-standardized mammogram screening rates among whites, black, Hispanics and others are 75.9%, 78.7%, 75.2% and 74.5%, respectively. Among women 20 years and older, black and Hispanic women are more likely to have had a Pap test than white women, 86.6% (p=0.0004) and 84.7% (p=0.005) vs. 83.5%, respectively.  A total of 81.7% of women of other races have had a Pap test. CONCLUSIONS: Age-standardized screening rates for mammograms and Pap tests are high among US women, regardless of race/ethnicity. However, black, Hispanic and women of other races are less likely than white women to have received a flu or pneumonia vaccination in the last year. Effective approaches are recommended to reduce disparities in health care screenings and prevention practices.