ABSTRACT
In the South, especially Appalachia, the incidence of invasive cervical cancer has remained high relative to the rest of the United States. Populous Florida now stands third among states by incidence and fifth from last in Pap screening. During the 1994 survey, 2,059 Florida women chosen as a multi-stage cluster sample were interviewed concerning their use of screening Pap smears. Never-participation in screening percentages were significantly higher in Hispanic women (14.7%), those sharing household incomes of less than $10,000 (13.2%), and women limited to a high school education (10.7%), but not among respondents older than 64 years of age (8.7%). Despite continued annual physician contact by most, yearly Pap smears fell to only 57.0% among women aged 55-64 years. It is important that physicians target these women and use any appropriate clinical contact to educate them about risk factors for cervical cancer while encouraging regular, continued use of this life-saving test.
Subject(s)
Mass Screening/statistics & numerical data , Papanicolaou Test , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/prevention & control , Vaginal Smears/statistics & numerical data , Women's Health , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Florida , Humans , Mass Screening/psychology , Middle Aged , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/psychology , Vaginal Smears/psychologyABSTRACT
This study examined data on usage of screening mammograms and clinical breast examination (CBE) by 1,339 Florida women interviewed during the 1991 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Among women 20 to 40 years old, 87.3% reported a CBE within the past 3 years, exceeding the guidelines of the American Cancer Society. Among older women, 70.4% had a CBE within the past year as recommended. However, only a bare majority (50.5%) of those aged 50 or older had obtained a mammogram in the past year. Annual household income, but not educational level, was positively associated with adherence to mammography. Among those having mammograms, self-referred women were more educated, more affluent, and more likely to be white than were physician-referred women. Further efforts and resources must be directed toward education of physicians and the public on the value of regular mammography for all Florida women, especially for our elderly and economically disadvantaged.
