Camacho Sayil, Heinrich Carolyn J, Sanders Montrell, McGowan Mary-Margaret
Latina Futures 2050 Lab, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 193 Haines Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1544, USA.
Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 Jun 27. doi: 10.1007/s40615-025-02507-5.
Despite extensive efforts to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine access and achieve a 70% vaccination rate, race-based disparities and barriers to vaccine access continue to persist in the United States. To investigate discrimination among Limited-English Proficient (LEP) populations, we conducted a paired audit test field experiment. Testers with identical gender and immigration status, but differing in racial and language profiles, inquired about vaccine access in all 50 states through the Department of Health and Major Vaccine Sites, using phone, email, and web-based chat communication. The results show that Spanish-speaking testers faced additional systemic barriers, were more likely to encounter overt racialized and judgmental language, and experienced heightened scrutiny regarding their identity. These findings highlight both macro-level communication infrastructure and micro-level interactions that contribute to ongoing disparities in healthcare access.
尽管为促进新冠疫苗接种并实现70%的接种率付出了巨大努力，但美国基于种族的差异以及疫苗接种障碍依然存在。为调查英语能力有限（LEP）人群中存在的歧视现象，我们开展了一项配对审计测试实地实验。测试人员性别和移民身份相同，但种族和语言背景不同，他们通过卫生部和主要疫苗接种点，利用电话、电子邮件和网络聊天通讯，在全美50个州询问疫苗接种情况。结果显示，讲西班牙语的测试人员面临更多系统性障碍，更有可能遭遇公然的种族化和评判性语言，并且在身份方面受到更严格的审查。这些发现凸显了宏观层面的通信基础设施和微观层面的互动，正是它们导致了医疗保健获取方面持续存在的差异。
