Disturbing Evidence Of Race Bias In STD Screenings
LatestA new study has found that young black or Hispanic women are more likely to be screened for chlamydia than white women, suggesting that providers could have biased ideas about who’s likely to get an STD.
According to EurekAlert, researchers found that among sexually active girls and women ages 14-25, black women were 2.5 times more likely to be tested for chlamydia than white women, while Hispanic women were 9.7 times more likely. Women with public health insurance were also significantly more likely to be screened, as were women who had been diagnosed with an STD or been pregnant before (though among this last group, women of color were still the most likely to get tested). Says lead study author Sarah E. Wiehe, “This may mean that providers make judgments about a woman’s likelihood of infection based on her race or ethnicity. Yet in an asymptomatic condition like chlamydia, all sexually active young women should be screened.”