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Non-utilization of the Pap Test Among Women with Frequent Health System Contact

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Abstract

Despite improvements in health access, many underserved women abstain from cervical cancer screening. A self-administered questionnaire was used to identify factors determining whether medically underserved women attending a safety net health system regularly are screened for cervical cancer. Approximately 11 % of study subjects had never received a Pap test despite an average of nearly four clinic visits in the preceding 12 months. Never screeners were significantly younger, more likely to be Hispanic, non-U.S. born and less likely to have healthcare continuity. In multivariable analysis, odds for never screening were independently lower among women with male partner support (aOR 0.29) and physician’s recommendation for screening (aOR 0.34) and higher among women who believed screening visits are too long (aOR 2.53). Educating male partners of Hispanic and immigrant women in addition to addressing recognized situational barriers may help to improve cervical cancer screening rates.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT PP120091 and PP100201).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM611, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Abayomi N. Ogunwale, Haleh Sangi-Haghpeykar & Yiwen Cui

  2. Department of Pediatrics-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Jane Montealegre

  3. Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Maria Jibaja-Weiss

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pathology and Immunology, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Center for Reproductive Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM 611, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Matthew L. Anderson

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  1. Abayomi N. Ogunwale
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Correspondence to Matthew L. Anderson.

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Ogunwale, A.N., Sangi-Haghpeykar, H., Montealegre, J. et al. Non-utilization of the Pap Test Among Women with Frequent Health System Contact. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 1404–1412 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0287-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0287-9

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