Two Gaps, Two Fixes: Infographics on Tobacco Use Among LGB Adults and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Lesbian and Bisexual Women
Student Name
RN to BSN Program, Aspen University
N492: Community Health I
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Infographic 1, Panel 1: The Problem
HEADLINE: More smoke, more harm
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults use tobacco at higher rates than heterosexual adults
Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States
Higher use means more heart disease, lung disease, and cancer in LGB communities
Design and source notes: Large headline across the top, one bold statistic callout, and an icon row showing heart, lungs, and a cancer ribbon. Source line in small type: national survey data show that current tobacco use was higher among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults than among heterosexual adults, and that tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death (Cornelius et al., 2023).
Infographic 1, Panel 2: Who Is Most at Risk
Young adults who are just coming out
People facing rejection from family or discrimination at work
Bisexual adults, who often report the highest stress
People whose social life centers on bars and clubs
Design and source notes: Four figure icons in a row, each with a one-line label. These groups are drawn from the minority stress framework and from the social settings where tobacco use has been concentrated. Keep labels short and non-stigmatizing; the message is about risk from circumstances, not about identity.
Infographic 1, Panel 3: Why the Gap Exists
Minority stress: prejudice, rejection, and hiding one's identity add chronic stress
Coping: smoking is used to manage that stress
Targeted marketing: tobacco companies have advertised directly to LGBT media and events
Social settings: bars and nightlife where smoking is common
Design and source notes: A simple flow graphic from stress to coping to tobacco, with a side box on marketing. The minority stress model explains that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create stress beyond what everyone experiences, and that this excess stress contributes to health disparities in sexual minority populations (Meyer, 2003). An analysis of tobacco industry documents and advertising described deliberate marketing to LGBT communities, including sponsorship of community events and advertising in LGBT publications (Stevens et al., 2004).
Infographic 1, Panel 4: What Works
Quit programs designed with and for LGBT communities
Smoke-free Pride events and community centers
Clinicians who ask about tobacco without assumptions, and offer treatment every time
Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free help
Design and source notes: Four check-mark boxes and the quitline number in large type at the bottom. Interventions combine community action, such as smoke-free events and refusing tobacco sponsorship, with clinical action, such as routine tobacco screening in welcoming settings and access to counseling and medication. The quitline gives every reader an immediate step.
Infographic 2, Panel 1: The Problem
HEADLINE: HPV does not ask about your partner
Lesbian and bisexual women can get HPV and cervical cancer
Many are screened less often than recommended
In one national online survey of lesbians, 29 percent were not up to date on Pap testing
Design and source notes: Bold headline, a large 29 percent figure in a circle, and a small illustration of a clinic door. The figure comes from a survey of 225 self-identified lesbians, of whom 29 percent reported their last Pap test was more than two years earlier or never (Tracy et al., 2010). The headline corrects the most common myth, that women who have sex with women do not need screening.
Infographic 2, Panel 2: Who Is Most at Risk of Missing Screening
Younger women
Women of color
Women without a college degree
Women who have not told their clinician about their sexual orientation
Design and source notes: Four labeled icons. In the same survey, women who were not screened routinely were more likely to be younger, nonwhite, and without a college degree, and less likely to have disclosed their orientation to their primary care physician (Tracy et al., 2010). The icons should show diverse women and avoid any imagery that suggests blame.
Infographic 2, Panel 3: Why Women Miss Screening
Myth: "I don't need a Pap test because I don't have sex with men"
Fear of discrimination leads women to delay care
Not knowing the screening guidelines
Intake forms and questions that assume a male partner
Design and source notes: A myth-versus-fact box and three short barrier icons. Women who did not screen routinely perceived fewer benefits and more barriers, knew less about screening guidelines, and were more likely to delay care because they feared discrimination (Tracy et al., 2010). These determinants operate at the individual level (knowledge), the interpersonal level (clinician communication), and the organizational level (forms and clinic climate).
Infographic 2, Panel 4: What Works
Inclusive intake forms that ask about partners without assumptions
Clinician training on sexual orientation and cervical cancer risk
Clear message: screening follows the same schedule for all women with a cervix
HPV vaccination for all eligible young people
Ask your clinic when you are due
Design and source notes: Five check-mark boxes and a call to action at the bottom. Interventions address each level of the problem. Clinics can revise forms and train staff to create a welcoming climate. Public messaging can correct the myth and state that screening recommendations are based on age and history, not on the gender of partners. HPV vaccination prevents the infections that cause most cervical cancer, and research in a large cohort of U.S. women has examined differences in HPV vaccination and screening across sexual orientation groups, supporting attention to the whole prevention pathway (Solazzo et al., 2020). Both infographics are sized for a single printed page or a social media carousel, so community partners such as an LGBT community center, a college health service, or a Pride organization can share them without editing.
References
Cornelius, M. E., Loretan, C. G., Jamal, A., Davis Lynn, B. C., Mayer, M., Alcantara, I. C., & Neff, L. (2023). Tobacco product use among adults: United States, 2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 72(18), 475-483. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7218a1
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674-697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674
Solazzo, A. L., Agénor, M., Austin, S. B., Chavarro, J. E., & Charlton, B. M. (2020). Sexual orientation differences in cervical cancer prevention among a cohort of U.S. women. Women's Health Issues, 30(4), 306-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2020.02.002
Stevens, P., Carlson, L. M., & Hinman, J. M. (2004). An analysis of tobacco industry marketing to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations: Strategies for mainstream tobacco control and prevention. Health Promotion Practice, 5(3 Suppl.), 129S-134S. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839904264617
Tracy, J. K., Lydecker, A. D., & Ireland, L. (2010). Barriers to cervical cancer screening among lesbians. Journal of Women's Health, 19(2), 229-237. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2009.1393
How this N 492 Module 6 example is structured
N492 Module 6 typically asks for two separate infographics on health issues in LGBT communities, each presenting the problem, the groups at risk, the determinants and interventions, supported by scholarly sources. Aspen revises courses, so check your classroom for format and length. This example gives both infographics the same four-panel structure so every required element is visible, places the data and citations in source lines as a real infographic would, grounds the causes in the minority stress model and study findings, and organizes interventions by level from the individual to the organization.
N492 Module 6 questions, answered
What does N492 Module 6 usually ask for?
Commonly two separate infographics addressing health issues in LGBT communities, each covering the problem, the groups at risk, the determinants of health and interventions, with at least three scholarly sources.
How do I cite sources in an infographic?
Put a short source line under each statistic or claim, in APA in-text form, and include a full reference list on a final panel or a separate page. The sample places citations in the source lines and lists every reference at the end.
How do I avoid stigmatizing language?
Describe risk as coming from circumstances such as discrimination or marketing rather than from identity, use the terms the studies used for the populations they measured, and choose images that show diverse people without blame. The sample's design notes include these choices.
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