RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To compare epidemiological characteristics and proportion of participation in a cervical cancer screening program in both, health-care professionals and insured on a health institute's women (Group A and Group B respectively). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Through questionnaires applied to both healthcare professionals and insured on a health institute's women (n = 96 for each group) randomly selected, a cross-sectional study was performed. To analyze the results, Yates' correction for continuity, was used. RESULTS: The characteristics from A and B groups were respectively: age 35 +/- 10 vs. 41 +/- 5 years (p < 0.001), years of scholarship: 8.3 +/- 5 vs. 12.0 +/- 1 (p < 0.001), frequency of screening test in the last two years: 1.2 +/- 0.4 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.1 (p < 0.001), time elapsed from the last test: 13.6 +/- 15 vs. 12.2 +/- 13 months (p = 0.52), attendance to screening test 55 (57%) vs. 72 (75%), (p < 0.001). Reasons for not attendance to screening test were indolence 13 (14%) vs. 13 (14%) and not enough time 7 (7%) vs. 2 (2%) by both groups, A and B, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of attendance to cervical cancer screening is higher in health-care professionals than in insured on a health institute's women. The causes for not attendance to screening are the same in both groups.
