Sexually Transmitted Infection Disparities and Social Determinants of Health in California, 2013‒2021.

This article examines the relationship between social determinants of health (SDoH), measured by the California Healthy Places Index (HPI), and bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence from 2013 to 2021. It finds that communities with fewer opportunities for healthy living (lowest HPI quartile) experience significantly higher rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis compared to communities with more opportunities (highest HPI quartile), with disparities varying by race, ethnicity, and gender. Black/African American individuals had the highest STI rates, while Asian individuals had the lowest, and the protective effect of better community conditions was not uniform across all groups, indicating that increased community opportunities alone do not eliminate racial health disparities. The study highlights the need for inclusive, equity-focused public health interventions that address structural factors beyond community resources to reduce STI disparities in California.