Use of the Pap test by a population group in Buenos Aires.

ABSTRACT

PIP: The incidence of Pap test coverage was assessed in 779 asymptomatic women from a low-income district (La Matanza) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who had enrolled voluntarily in a breast cancer screening program. Overall, 66% of respondents were 30-49 years old, 71% had no secondary education, and 67% lacked social security coverage. A total of 262 women (33.6%) had undergone Pap testing during the year preceding the survey, 279 (35.8%) had received such testing during the preceding 2 years, and 135 (17.4%) had had the test 3 or more years earlier, the remaining 103 (13.2%) had never been tested. Univariate analysis indicated that age, education, parity, and a family history of cancer other than breast cancer were significantly associated with having had a Pap test. Pap testing in the preceding 3 years was significantly associated with age, education, and parity. In the multivariate analysis, age, education, parity, and family history of cancer retained significance for testing at any time. Although the likelihood of testing increased with age, women in the oldest age group (50-69 years) were less likely to have been tested within the past 3 years than women 30-49 years. Parous women were 3-4 times more likely to have been tested than nulliparous women. These findings provide support for the recommendation that Pap testing should be scheduled every 3 years rather than every year to maximize coverage and make effective use of the health system's limited resources. The relatively high coverage rate identified in this study may not be representative of the Buenos Aires population, however, given the possibility of a self-selection bias of women concerned enough with their health to enroll in a cancer prevention program.