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Cervical cancer screening among sexual minority women: findings from a national survey

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Abstract

Purpose

Sexual minority women (SMW; lesbian, bisexual, and other women who have sex with women) are at risk for cervical cancer but less likely than non-SMW to receive regular cervical cancer screening (Pap- and/or HPV-testing). We examined factors contributing to receipt of guideline-based cervical cancer screening among SMW.

Methods

During October 2019, we conducted an online survey of self-identified SMW aged 21–45 years living in the United States (n = 435). We estimated risk differences (RD) in women’s likelihood of being within current cervical cancer screening guidelines by sociodemographic and health-related characteristics.

Results

Overall, 75% of respondents were within current screening guidelines. Adjusting for other factors, SMW were more likely to be within guidelines if they were insured (aRD 0.26, 95% CI 0.13, 0.39), had a partner (aRD 0.18, 95% CI 0.09, 0.28), and were older (aRD 0.12, 95% CI 0.04, 0.20). Overall, the most common reasons for not being screened recently were lack of insurance/cost (42%) and perceiving it was unnecessary (28%).

Conclusion

Many SMW are not being screened for cervical cancer according to guidelines. Findings can inform efforts to improve screening among this population.

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Funding

GB is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T32CA163184 (Michele Allen, MD, MS; PI). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Health Disparities Research, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Gabriela Bustamante

  2. School of Medicine, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador

    Gabriela Bustamante

  3. College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Paul L. Reiter

  4. Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Paul L. Reiter

  5. Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, 717 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Annie-Laurie McRee

Authors
  1. Gabriela Bustamante
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  2. Paul L. Reiter
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  3. Annie-Laurie McRee
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the analysis, interpretation and writing of this manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Gabriela Bustamante or Annie-Laurie McRee.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The Institutional Review Board at the Ohio State University determined that this study was exempt from review.

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Bustamante, G., Reiter, P.L. & McRee, AL. Cervical cancer screening among sexual minority women: findings from a national survey. Cancer Causes Control 32, 911–917 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01442-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01442-0

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