Sexual orientation and gender identity inequities in cervical cancer screening by race and ethnicity

Background In the United States, inequities in preventive health behaviors such as cervical cancer screening have been documented. Sexual orientation, gender identity, and race/ethnicity all individually contribute to such disparities. However, little work has investigated their joint impact on screening behavior. Methods Using sampling weighted data from the 2016 and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we assessed differences in two metrics via chi-square statistics: 1) lifetime uptake, and 2) up-to-date cervical cancer screening by sexual orientation and gender identity, within and across racial/ethnic classifications. Results Within all races, individuals who identify as members of sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities reported higher rates of never being screened (except for Black transgender men) than straight or cisgender individuals ( p