Middle to older-aged Latinas receiving care at community health centers had higher odds of receiving at least one HPV or Pap test compared to non-Hispanic White patients.
Are there disparities in the utilization of cervical cancer screening between middle to older age Latinas and non-Hispanic White women in Community Health Centers?
In a national network of Community Health Centers, middle to older age Latinas generally had higher odds of receiving cervical cancer screening compared to non-Hispanic White women, though overall rates remain suboptimal.
Abstract Introduction: Timely cervical cancer screenings are critical for middle to older aged Latinas, who have high morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer, but we currently know less about screening in this population. Efforts to engage middle to older-age Latina immigrants need to be tailored to recognize their distinct experiences with coming to the US that may set them apart from other groups. Latinas tend to receive disproportionate care in Community Health Centers (CHCs) and CHCs are a vital component for cancer screening and prevention. This study leverages a national network of CHCs to assess disparities in and utilization of cervical cancer screening among middle to older age Latinas. Methods: Retrospective analysis of electronic health record data from a multistate network of CHCs across the United States. Data were extracted on Latina and non-Hispanic White (NHW) women age 45 with known birth country and at least one in-person primary care visit in a CHC between January 1, 2014, and September 14, 2022, across 527 community-based primary care clinics in 15 states. To examine the receipt of at least one Pap Smear and/or Human papilloma Varus (HPV) test ever during the study period, generalized estimating equations (GEE) logistic regression were conducted, overall and disaggregated by country of origin. Results: Among 34,135 patients, we found that all Latina groups aside from US born Latinas and those from other countries with sample sizes too small to analyze individually had higher odds of receiving either an HPV or Pap test compared to non-Hispanic Whites. When disaggregated by country of origin, all Latina groups born in Central America have higher odds than non-Hispanic Whites. All three of the models showed that Latinas had higher odds of receiving either an HPV or Pap test at least once during the study period compared to non-Hispanic White patients. Conclusion: CHCs may have unique strengths to address diverse and underserved populations such as Latinas; however, rates remain less than optimal, and work is still needed Citation Format: Selena Rushton, Tahlia Hodes, Jennifer A. Lucas, John Heintzman, Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzman. Cervical cancer screening and prevention among Latinas in the U.S. among a network of community health centers abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 7587.
Rushton et al. (2026) studied this question. Middle to older-aged Latinas receiving care at community health centers had higher odds of receiving at least one HPV or Pap test compared to non-Hispanic White patients.