Sociodemographic Predictors of Adherence to Annual Cervical Cancer Screening in Minority Women

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Abstract
The Papanicolaou (Pap) test is an effective screening mechanism for reducing morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer. Nevertheless, Pennsylvania ranks fifth in national cervical cancer incidence and fourth in national cervical cancer mortality, with a significant number of cases contributed by Philadelphia. Substantial subgroups of American women, specifically ethnic minorities, the elderly, the uninsured, and the poor, have not been screened or are not screened at regular intervals. A secondary data analysis was conducted to test whether age, income, insurance coverage, marital status, level of education, and number of persons living at home could predict whether a woman among convenience sample of 204 black and Hispanic women adhered to annual Pap testing. A woman was considered adherent to annual Pap testing if she reported undergoing a Pap smear in the 14 months preceding her enrollment in the study. African American woman who were high school graduates and had insurance coverage were more likely to be adherent to annual Pap testing. Hispanic women older than 50 years and born outside the mainland United States were less likely to be adherent to annual Pap testing. Findings suggest that cancer nurses working to promote cervical cancer screening in Philadelphia should continue to target at-risk populations, specifically uninsured and less-educated black and Hispanic women older than 50 years who were born outside the mainland United States.