Turner, KeaBrownstein, Naomi C.Whiting, JunminArevalo, MarianaIslam, Jessica Y.Vadaparampil, Susan T.Meade, Cathy D.Gwede, Clement K.Kasting, Monica L.Head, Katharine J.Christy, Shannon M.2024-04-252024-04-252022-12-13Turner, K., Brownstein, N. C., Whiting, J., Arevalo, M., Islam, J. Y., Vadaparampil, S. T., Meade, C. D., Gwede, C. K., Kasting, M. L., Head, K. J., & Christy, S. M. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Health Care Access: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Women’s Health, 31(12), 1690–1702. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2022.0128https://hdl.handle.net/1805/40241Background: There has been limited study of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected women's health care access. Our study aims to examine the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19-related disruptions to (1) primary care; (2) gynecologic care; and (3) preventive health care among women. Materials and Methods: We recruited 4,000 participants from a probability-based online panel. We conducted four multinomial logistic regression models, one for each of the study outcomes: (1) primary care access; (2) gynecologic care access; (3) patient-initiated disruptions to preventive visits; and (4) provider-initiated disruptions to preventive visits. Results: The sample included 1,285 women. One in four women (28.5%) reported that the pandemic affected their primary care access. Sexual minority women (SMW) (odds ratios [OR]: 1.67; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.19–2.33) had higher odds of reporting pandemic-related effects on primary care access compared to women identifying as heterosexual. Cancer survivors (OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.25–3.42) had higher odds of reporting pandemic-related effects on primary care access compared to women without a cancer history. About 16% of women reported that the pandemic affected their gynecologic care access. Women with a cancer history (OR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.35–4.08) had higher odds of reporting pandemic-related effects on gynecologic care compared to women without a cancer history. SMW were more likely to report patient- and provider-initiated delays in preventive health care. Other factors that affected health care access included income, insurance status, and having a usual source of care. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted women's health care access and disproportionately affected access among SMW and women with a cancer history, suggesting that targeted interventions may be needed to ensure adequate health care access during the COVID-19 pandemic.en-USPublisher Policyprimary caregynecologic carewomen's healthcancer preventioncancer screeningArticle