Two vaginal swabs were collected from each study participant and analyzed. Researchers found that Lactobacillus microorganisms which protect against invading pathogens as part of a healthy vaginal microbiome were dominant in 58% of non-Native women compared with 44% of Native women.
Native American women also had higher rates of vaginal dysbiosis and elevated vaginal pH leading to inflammation. 

The higher rate of cervical cancer among Native American women was previously attributed to a lack of screening unequal access to health care and quality of care.

It is setting the foundation to answer relevant Native women’s health concerns around sexual health prevention and testing Lee said.

Ongoing work will include a longitudinal study which evaluates multiple time points to determine the role of vaginal microbiota in HPV resistance or HPV clearance through the lens of the social determinants of health.

According to the CDC social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born raised work and live. They include a person’s community and neighborhood as well as their access to health care and education

We know that HPV is the causative agent of cervical cancer but your vaginal microbiome can dictate whether you clear that HPV with no problem or if you keep it and are then at higher risk for developing cancer Herbst-Kralovetz said. If we could modulate the microbiome in women with HPV and that’s what we're thinking about for future studies working with the Cancer Center then we could potentially intervene and prevent the progression to cervical cancer. We need all these interventions including vaccination working together to prevent cancer.

Source: https://www.technologynetworks.com/cancer-research/news/vaginal-microbiome-differences-explain-higher-cervical-cancer-rates-in-native-american-women-394492