and they are more likely to die in any given year,” said David Williams, the Norman professor of public health and the Harvard School of Public Health. In addition, Vietnamese women have a five times higher rate of cervical cancer than white women.
Why these disparities?
When it comes to Vietnamese women, one reason for the disparity could be caused by recent immigrants not being comfortable with a man performing a gynecological exam, thereby missing out on pap smear screening.
Regarding women of color and the increased breast cancer survival rates, it has been reported that even after their screening, it is less likely for a minority to follow up if there is an abnormality. With various minorities, language barriers can also be a cause of disparity since some may not understand the testing instructions or the importance of screening. Another reason for the racial disparities and cancer/survival rates between African-Americans and Caucasians with different types of cancer is that fewer minorities undergo routine cancer screenings. Also,
different perceptions between the two cultures have to be addressed and information about invasive procedures such as colorectal screenings have to be communicated with culturally-appropriate messages.
Across the board, if you look at the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., blacks have higher deaths rates than whites and about 12 of them, including heart disease, cancer and stroke, "Williams of Harvard also stated. Adopting healthy lifestyles and receiving recommended health screenings are some of
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