Well-Woman Visits and Cervical Cancer Screening at the Intersection of Sexual Orientation and Race/Ethnicity Among Illinois Women
<b><i>Purpose:</i></b> This study examined receipt of a well-woman visit (WWV) and cervical cancer screening (CCS) at the intersection of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity among Illinois women aged 21-65. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This study used 2016, 2018, and 2020 Illinois Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for women aged 21-65 to examine rates of CCS (<i>n</i> = 2848) and 2016-2018, 2020, and 2021 Illinois BRFSS data to examine WWV receipt (<i>n</i> = 5863) by sexual orientation (heterosexual vs. lesbian, gay, and bisexual [LGB]). Self-reported race/ethnicity was tested as an effect modifier to assess intersectionality. Using binomial regression, adjusted prevalence differences (aPD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Covariates included age, education, marital status, employment, and health insurance coverage. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Overall, 4.6% of Illinois women aged 21-65 self-identified as LGB. Heterosexual and LGB women had a similar prevalence of receipt of both a WWV (77.1% and 71.7%, respectively; aPD = 3.22, 95% CI: -3.62 to 10.06) and CCS (85.3% and 83.4%, respectively; aPD = 2.13, 95% CI: -4.77 to 9.04). Among non-Hispanic (NH) Black women, heterosexual compared with LGB women had a higher prevalence of receiving both types of care; however, adjusted associations included the null. Hispanic women had similar prevalence estimates by sexual orientation for both outcomes, and NH White heterosexual compared with LGB women had a higher prevalence of CCS, but not WWV. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> In Illinois overall, heterosexual and LGB women received preventive care at similar rates. However, when stratified by race/ethnicity, WWV and CCS receipt rates may be higher for heterosexual compared with LGB women, indicating potential missed opportunities for preventive care.
Authors
- Arden S. Handler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0376-0852)
- William D. Barshop (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9517-2339)
- Brenikki Floyd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8552-0050)
- Madison Levecke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1794-4433)
- Kristin Rankin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7805-2471)
- Caitlin Meyer Krause (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7843-8048)
Institutions
- Chicago Department of Public Health (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- LGBT Health
- Published
- 2025-09-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/23258292251379503
- Primary Topic
- LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00