TY - JOUR
T1 - Cervical Cancer Screening Barriers and Risk Factor Knowledge Among Uninsured Women
AU - Akinlotan, Marvellous
AU - Bolin, Jane N.
AU - Helduser, Janet
AU - Ojinnaka, Chinedum
AU - Lichorad, Anna
AU - McClellan, David
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Brenda Hernandez, Rebecca Hernandez and Rebecca Martinez who skillfully administered the intake survey to our grant patients. The Texas Cancer Screening Training and Education Project is funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (Grant # PP130090). Principal Investigator/Director: David A. McClellan, MD; Co-Principal Investigators/Co-Directors: Jane N. Bolin, BSN, JD, PhD and Anna Lichorad, MD.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, The Author(s).
PY - 2017/8/1
Y1 - 2017/8/1
N2 - A steady decline in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the United States has been attributed to increased uptake of cervical cancer screening tests such as Papanicolau (Pap) tests. However, disparities in Pap test compliance exist, and may be due in part to perceived barriers or lack of knowledge about risk factors for cervical cancer. This study aimed to assess correlates of cervical cancer risk factor knowledge and examine socio-demographic predictors of self-reported barriers to screening among a group of low-income uninsured women. Survey and procedure data from 433 women, who received grant-funded cervical cancer screenings over a span of 33 months, were examined for this project. Data included demographics, knowledge of risk factors, and agreement on potential barriers to screening. Descriptive analysis showed significant correlation between educational attainment and knowledge of risk factors (r = 0.1381, P < 0.01). Multivariate analyses revealed that compared to Whites, Hispanics had increased odds of identifying fear of finding cancer (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.00–2.43), language barriers (OR 4.72, 95% CI 2.62–8.50), and male physicians (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.32–3.55) as barriers. Hispanics (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.16–3.44) and Blacks (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.15–3.68) had a two-fold increase in odds of agreeing that lack of knowledge was a barrier. Identified barriers varied with age, marital status and previous screening. Programs aimed at conducting free or subsidized screenings for medically underserved women should include culturally relevant education and patient care in order to reduce barriers and improve screening compliance for safety-net populations.
AB - A steady decline in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the United States has been attributed to increased uptake of cervical cancer screening tests such as Papanicolau (Pap) tests. However, disparities in Pap test compliance exist, and may be due in part to perceived barriers or lack of knowledge about risk factors for cervical cancer. This study aimed to assess correlates of cervical cancer risk factor knowledge and examine socio-demographic predictors of self-reported barriers to screening among a group of low-income uninsured women. Survey and procedure data from 433 women, who received grant-funded cervical cancer screenings over a span of 33 months, were examined for this project. Data included demographics, knowledge of risk factors, and agreement on potential barriers to screening. Descriptive analysis showed significant correlation between educational attainment and knowledge of risk factors (r = 0.1381, P < 0.01). Multivariate analyses revealed that compared to Whites, Hispanics had increased odds of identifying fear of finding cancer (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.00–2.43), language barriers (OR 4.72, 95% CI 2.62–8.50), and male physicians (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.32–3.55) as barriers. Hispanics (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.16–3.44) and Blacks (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.15–3.68) had a two-fold increase in odds of agreeing that lack of knowledge was a barrier. Identified barriers varied with age, marital status and previous screening. Programs aimed at conducting free or subsidized screenings for medically underserved women should include culturally relevant education and patient care in order to reduce barriers and improve screening compliance for safety-net populations.
KW - Barriers
KW - Cervical cancer
KW - Knowledge
KW - Screening
KW - Uninsured
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85011546077&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85011546077&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10900-017-0316-9
DO - 10.1007/s10900-017-0316-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 28155005
AN - SCOPUS:85011546077
VL - 42
SP - 770
EP - 778
JO - Journal of Community Health
JF - Journal of Community Health
SN - 0094-5145
IS - 4
ER -