A psychometric examination of an instrument to measure the dimensions of Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for cervical cancer screening in women living with HIV.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper was to examine the psychometric properties of Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for cervical cancer and screening among women living with HIV. METHODS: A secondary data analysis was conducted using data from an exploratory cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 300 women living with HIV receiving care at two HIV ambulatory care clinics in Florida. A 39-item adaptation of the Champion's Health Belief Model Scales was administered via paper and pencil. RESULTS: The authors used internal consistency measures, confirmatory factor analysis, and ordinal item response theory (IRT) techniques to examine the psychometric properties of the instrument. The 39-item instrument had adequate internal consistency and factor structure. However, the IRT analyses suggested that the instrument could be reduced to 24-items (61.5%), without loss of relevant information. CONCLUSION: A shortened 24-item instrument demonstrated good internal consistency among women living with HIV. Future work should include validating the properties of the reduced instrument in diverse samples of patients and conditions.

Factors influencing cervical cancer screening in women infected with HIV: a review of the literature.

The purpose of this article is to review and compare factors that influence cervical cancer screening behavior in HIV-infected women and uninfected women. The research literature revealed that age, ethnicity/race, tobacco use, weight, education, economic issues, and risky behaviors such as substance abuse were factors that influenced cervical cancer screening among all women. HIV viral load and CD4+ T lymphocyte count were serologic factors that affected cervical cancer screening in HIV-infected women. Clinicians can use this information to identify patients at risk for poor Pap test adherence. Future interventions to reduce potential barriers for cervical cancer screening are needed in HIV-infected women.