Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are one of the most prevalent diseases in America with an estimated annual incidence of 20 million cases.1 Over 50% of U.S. adults will have one STD in their lifetime.2 From 2017 to 2021, total reported STDs increased by 7%.3 Studies have shown that people of color often suffer disproportionately from these diseases. Thus, racial and ethnic disparities in STDs are national priorities.

Asian people do not appear to show higher STD rates than White people. However, through analyzing publicly available datasets from the CDC, it is revealed that Asian people have the highest non-response rates for questions regarding sexual health. Using an additional study conducted on a survey platform, it was found that Asian people also showed significantly lower levels of willingness to discuss sexual health with family and answer questions about sexual health on surveys compared to other topics like general health care. This indicates that while on the surface, Asians appear not to suffer from sexual health disparities, in actuality, STD rates may be higher than Whites but are masked due to non-response.

Research into Asian sexual health remains greatly understudied. These findings demonstrate that further inquiry is warranted to understand trends of non-response and produce a more accurate estimate of prevalence.