Date of Conferral

8-13-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Health Sciences

Advisor

Claire Robb

Abstract

Cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern, with African American and Hispanic women experiencing disproportionately higher incidence and mortality rates in the United States. Socioeconomic factors, including income, education, employment status, and place of residence, may contribute to these disparities by affecting access to preventive services, timely diagnosis, and follow-up care. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined associations between these factors and cervical cancer incidence among African American and Hispanic women while controlling for age and health insurance status. Guided by the socio-ecological model, the study used 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from N = 33,886 African American and Hispanic women. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analyses, and multiple logistic regression addressed the research questions. Place of residence was significantly associated with cervical cancer incidence (Wald = 43.11, p < .001, OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.64, 0.79]). Income (Wald = 48.69, p < .001), education (Wald = 1129.15, p < .001), and employment status (Wald = 707.24, p < .001) were also significantly associated with cervical cancer incidence after controlling for age and health insurance status. Findings support addressing social determinants of health to reduce cervical cancer disparities among minority women. Positive social change implications include informing public health policy, improving access to cervical cancer screening and preventive services, and supporting targeted interventions to reduce disparities and promote health equity among African American and Hispanic women.

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