Abstract 4894: Cervical cancer screening disparities among the deaf and hard-of-hearing women
Authors: Roxana Soto-Abreu, Francisco J. Muñoz-Torres, Vivian Colón-López
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Abstract Background: Recent studies have highlighted persistent disparities in cancer screening among deaf populations1-4. Deaf women show lower adherence rates for cervical and breast cancer screenings compared to hearing women, with significant disparities remaining for cervical cancer screening after adjusting for correlates1, 5. Barriers to cancer screening for deaf individuals include ineffective patient-physician communication and a lack of culturally and linguistically aligned resources6. Objective: Examine the association of up-to-date cervical cancer screening in deaf and hard-of-hearing women and investigate if disparities in cancer screening among this population persist. Methods: A secondary analysis of the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data set was conducted. Logistic regression was used to evaluate up-to-date cervical cancer screening, by disability status and covariates (age, race, education, income, regular provider, health insurance, and urban residency). Up-to-date cervical cancer screening was defined using the recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines and considered females ages 21 to 65 years who received a Papanicolaou (Pap) test in the previous 3 years to be up to date with screening7. The main independent variable (deafness and hard-of-hearing) was self-reported using the Guide to Disability Questions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention8. Results: A total of 13, 937 females between 21 years and 65 years old reported to have a cervical cancer screening. From this sample, 3.3 % (n=455) of respondents identified as deaf and hard-of-hearing. The likelihood of being up-to-date in cervical cancer screening was lower in deaf women (AOR: 0.82; p&amp;lt;0.05) when compared to hearing women. Non-Hispanic black women have lower odds of being up-to-date with cervical cancer screening (AOR: 0.84; p&amp;lt;0.05) when compared to non-Hispanic white women. Uninsured women showed lower odds (AOR: 0.73; p&amp;lt;0.001) for being up-to-date on cervical cancer screening, compared with women with health insurance coverage. Women with an annual household income of less than $25, 000 had an adjusted odds of 0.62 (p&amp;lt;0.001) being up-to-date on cervical cancer screening, compared with women with an annual household income of $75, 000 or more. Additionally, those women who reported not having a personal healthcare provider had half the odds of not being up-to-date on cervical cancer screening when compared to women having 2 or more health providers (AOR: 0.50; p&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion: Findings from this study support that disparities among this population of deaf and hard-of-hearing women persist regarding adherence to cervical cancer screening. Social determinants of health (economic stability, healthcare access, and quality) play an important role in access to cancer care prevention, especially in people with disabilities. Citation Format: Roxana Soto-Abreu, Francisco J. Muñoz-Torres, Vivian Colón-López. Cervical cancer screening disparities among the deaf and hard-of-hearing women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 4894.