Communication Inequalities on HPV and Cervical Cancer among Low-SEP Black and Latina Women

Communication research suggests that as more health information flows to the general public, underserved racial/ethnic minority women may benefit less compared to women who are better off because of differential access to and ability to utilize information. This finding has significant implications for preventing human papilloma virus (HPV) among the underserved. For example, a recent study reported that a prior HPV diagnosis was strongly associated with awareness of HPV after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. While African American women (83%) were more likely than White (80%) or Latina (75%) women to report having had a Pap smear in the past 3 years, Black (33%) and Latina (28%) women were still significantly less likely than white women (44%) to have heard of HPV, despite being at least as likely to be diagnosed with disease. Such differential awareness could be the result of poor provider-patient communication or lower access to, and trust in information on HPV from different sources.

This presentation, using a mixed-methods approach, draws from national survey data (HINTS-2005) and focus groups to describe challenges in health-information seeking among low-SEP Black and Latina women.

Our data suggest that women from racial and ethnic minority groups are likely to face many barriers to accessing important communication channels such as the Internet. Further, complicated language and biased sources of information may challenge these women's abilities to process health information. These data will be important for health care providers and public health officials who seek to provide HPV risk communications to vulnerable populations.