Asian and Hispanic women less likely to be screened for cervical cancer

Asian and Hispanic women were much less likely than White and Black women to be currently following cervical cancer screening recommendations, according to a nationally representative survey of more than 20,000 women.

About 30 percent of Asian and Hispanic women ages 21 to 65 were not up-to-date with their screening, compared with about 22 percent of Black and White women in a study led by Ryan Suk (above) of the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston.

Overall, the percentage of women without recommended cervical cancer screening increased from 14 percent in 2005 to 23 percent in 2019.

• See “Study reveals why cervical cancer screening rates are declining, which populations are most affected” by Caitie Barkley on the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston website (January 18, 2022)
• See the full text of the scientific paper “Assessment of US Preventive Services Task Force Guideline–Concordant Cervical Cancer Screening Rates and Reasons for underscreening by Age, Race and Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Rurality, and Insurance, 2005 to 2019” by Ryan Suk et al.