Has Regular Doctor

Proportion of respondents who have a regular doctor or healthcare provider. Having a consistent provider relationship is important for PrEP initiation, monitoring, and continuity of care.

Comfort with Doctor

Respondents' comfort level discussing sexual health and PrEP with their doctor. Comfort with providers directly influences willingness to seek PrEP prescriptions and ongoing care.

Comfort with Pharmacist

Comfort discussing PrEP-related topics with pharmacists. Pharmacists are increasingly important PrEP access points, and comfort levels may affect utilization of pharmacy-based services.

Comfort with Navigator

Comfort with patient navigators for PrEP services. Navigators help connect individuals to care, and comfort with them can improve retention in PrEP programs.

Key Finding: While 64.4% of respondents have a regular doctor, over 1 in 3 do not — a significant gap for PrEP continuity of care. Comfort levels are generally positive: 81.4% report at least some comfort discussing PrEP with a doctor. However, pharmacist and navigator comfort lag slightly behind, with 23.4% and 22.9% respectively reporting discomfort.

Discrimination & Medical Mistrust

Everyday Discrimination

Whether respondents have experienced everyday discrimination. Discrimination experiences can erode trust in healthcare systems and create barriers to seeking preventive services like PrEP.

Ever Experienced Medical Discrimination

Frequency of medical discrimination experiences among respondents. Medical discrimination can lead to healthcare avoidance and reduced willingness to engage with PrEP providers.

Medical Discrimination Items

Detailed Likert responses to specific medical discrimination items. These items capture the nature and frequency of discriminatory experiences in healthcare settings. How to read: Bars extending right of zero indicate agreement; bars extending left indicate disagreement. Longer bars mean a higher percentage of respondents.

Medical Mistrust (GBMMS Items)

Responses to the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale (GBMMS). Higher mistrust scores are associated with lower healthcare engagement and PrEP uptake among marginalized communities. How to read: Bars extending right of zero indicate agreement; bars extending left indicate disagreement. Longer bars mean a higher percentage of respondents.

Reasons for Everyday Discrimination

Self-reported reasons for experienced discrimination, ranked by frequency. Understanding attributed causes helps design interventions that address specific forms of bias.

Mistrust Scores by Demographics

Medical Mistrust by Race

Medical mistrust scores compared across racial/ethnic groups. Historical and ongoing healthcare disparities contribute to higher mistrust among certain racial groups.

Medical Mistrust by Gender

Medical mistrust scores by gender identity. Gender-based healthcare experiences may shape trust levels differently across populations.

DMS Score by Race

Discrimination in Medical Settings (DMS) scores by race/ethnicity. Higher scores indicate more reported discrimination experiences within healthcare environments.

DMS Score by Gender

DMS scores compared by gender identity. Intersecting identities may compound experiences of healthcare discrimination.

Regular Doctor by Race

Access to a regular doctor stratified by race/ethnicity. Racial disparities in provider access reflect broader structural inequities in the healthcare system. How to read: Each group shows side-by-side bars comparing response categories. Longer bars indicate a higher percentage within that group.

Doctor Comfort by Race

Comfort discussing PrEP with doctors across racial/ethnic groups. Cultural concordance and trust dynamics may influence comfort levels differently by race. How to read: Each group shows side-by-side bars comparing response categories. Longer bars indicate a higher percentage within that group.

Key Finding: Over half (54%) of respondents have experienced medical discrimination at least once. Race was the most cited reason (25.7%), followed by gender (19.4%) and sexual orientation (18.1%). Black respondents report higher medical mistrust (mean 3.06/5) than Hispanic/Latino respondents (2.78/5), while transgender women report the highest discrimination in medical settings scores (2.34/4).
3.06 Black — Mistrust Score (GBMMS)
2.78 Hispanic/Latino — Mistrust Score (GBMMS)
SOURCE

EHE Community Survey, Long Beach CA (N=394)

NOTES

GBMMS = Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale (1–5). DMS = Discrimination in Medical Settings (1–4). Higher scores indicate greater mistrust or more discrimination experiences.