This month of January marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. This is a condition that’s affecting many women today. The American Cancer Society estimates that this year about 13,360 new cases will be diagnosed. That’s why all women must be screened for this condition. Unfortunately, there have been some barriers to cervical cancer screening causing most Black women not to get screened as properly as their Caucasian counterparts. Let’s examine the reasons for this disparity in screening rates, the main barriers to screening that affect Black women, and some potential solutions.
Why is There a Disparity in Cervical Cancer Screening Rates
There are several reasons as to why there is such a disparity in cervical cancer screening rates amongst black women. While cervical cancer deaths have been reduced by 75% since screening has become more available, women of color still haven’t benefited enough from this. More than 60% of invasive cervical cancer cases in the United States occur in underserved communities, or low-income, minority women.
Improvements in incidence and mortality are unequal among racial groups with Black women 75% more likely to die from cervical cancer than white women. Also, black women are the most likely group to be diagnosed at a later stage. This unfortunate situation plays a role in them only living with it for five years. In rural areas, black women face a cervical cancer incidence rate almost 50 percent higher than white women. Most experts link these disparities to a lack of community involvement and awareness of screenings in underserved populations.
Main Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening for Black Women
Some of the key barriers to cervical cancer screening for black women include systemic barriers, socioeconomic challenges, and cultural and awareness barriers. One aspect of systemic barriers that is usually common amongst black women is the lack of trust in the healthcare system due to historical injustices. Throughout history, many minority women, such as Henrietta Lacks, a poor Black tobacco farmer and mother in 1951 who died young after eight months of cervical cancer treatment, have been mistreated by medical professionals. This has made many black women develop trust issues with the healthcare system.
Socioeconomic challenges that may hinder black women from cervical cancer screening could involve financial constraints and out-of-pocket costs, not having enough time to schedule a screening, or limited transportation to medical facilities. However, one statistic shows that black women have the lowest rate of follow-up after an abnormal screening. These low follow-up rates could contribute to limitations in health insurance, lack of regular access to health care providers, or miscommunication from providers regarding test results, procedures, and next steps.
In terms of cultural and awareness barriers, one of the main barriers here involves a lack of understanding about the importance of getting screened among black women. It seems as if there are plenty of barriers concerning the HPV vaccination, including a gap in healthcare providers giving patients accurate enough information to understand the virus. There’s also a lack of healthcare providers endorsing and offering the vaccine. Black women aren’t getting the same accurate information as their white counterparts concerning cervical cancer prevention and HPV leaving them unfortunately misinformed.
Potential Solutions to This Issue
To fix these barriers, there are several solutions policymakers, healthcare providers, and community leaders could try. These solutions involve policy changes being made, the healthcare system being improved, and educating more black women about screening resources. Expanding insurance coverage for all people is a good example of a policy change. The healthcare system could improve by increasing the representation of Black healthcare providers. Promoting awareness of HPV vaccines and regular screenings amongst black women not only educates them about how they could lower their risk of cervical cancer. It also empowers them to take action about their health.
Spreading Awareness of Getting Screened
Unfortunately, there is such a huge disparity in cervical cancer screening rates amongst black women. But we must address the barriers that are causing these disparities such as a lack of healthcare providers endorsing and offering the HPV vaccine. Healthcare providers, policymakers, and community leaders must come together to develop more resources for screening. Maybe this could alleviate the barriers to cervical cancer screening affecting many Black women.
What barriers to cervical cancer screening do you think are affecting Black women? How do you think we can improve cervical cancer prevention within underserved Black communities? Feel free to share your opinions or thoughts in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next woman you know going through cervical cancer.
