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Factors Important in Promoting Cervical Cancer Screening among Canadian Women: Findings from the 1996–97 National Population Health Survey (NPHS)

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Abstract

Although routine Pap screening represents an effective tool in the early detection of cervical cancer, it remains underused by some Canadian women. This study examines selected sociodemographic, health, lifestyle, and system barriers to Pap test participation among 33,817 women aged 18+ years in the cross-sectional 1996–97 National Population Health Survey (NPHS).

Among women 18 years and over, 87% reported ever having had a Pap test while 72% reported a recent (<3 years) test. A report of ever and recent use was most common among women 25–34 (92% and 86.9%, respectively). Only 0.6% of recently screened women reported access problems. Among those without a recent test, most (53%) reported that they did not think it was necessary. Pap test use varied little across provinces and was less common among older and single women, those with lower education, a spoken language other than English, a birth place outside Canada and negative health and lifestyle characteristics.

Résumé

Bien que le test de Papanicolaou soit un moyen efficace de dépistage précoce du cancer du col utérin, certaines Canadiennes ne l’utilisent pas assez. Notre étude portait sur certains obstacles sociodémographiques, systémiques ou liés à la santé ou au mode de vie pouvant freiner le recours au test de Papanicolaou chez 33 817 femmes de 18 ans ou plus ayant participé à l’Enquête nationale sur la santé de la population (ENSP) de 1996–1997, menée de façon transversale. Parmi les femmes de 18 ans ou plus, 87 % déclaraient avoir déjà passé un test de Papanicolaou, tandis que 72 % disaient en avoir passé un récemment (depuis moins de trois ans). Ce sont les femmes de 25 à 34 ans qui déclaraient le plus souvent avoir déjà passé ce test (92 %) ou l’avoir passé récemment (86,9 %). Seulement 0,6 % des femmes à avoir passé le test récemment ont déclaré avoir eu de la difficulté à l’obtenir.

Parmi celles qui n’avaient pas passé le test récemment, la majorité (53 %) déclaraient qu’elles ne le trouvaient pas nécessaire. Nous avons constaté peu de différences entre les provinces quant au recours à ce test, qui était moins utilisé par les femmes âgées ou seules et par celles dont le niveau de scolarité était plus faible, qui parlaient une langue autre que l’anglais, qui étaient nées hors du Canada ou dont la santé ou le mode de vie présentaient des caractéristiques négatives.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Community Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Calgary and Fellow of the Institute of Health Economics, Heritage Medical Research Building, 3330 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada

    Colleen J. Maxwell PhD

  2. Cancer Control Assessment and Surveillance Division, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control, Health Canada, Canada

    Christina M. Bancej MSc & Judy Snider MSc

  3. Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada

    Shelly A. Vik BSc

Authors
  1. Colleen J. Maxwell PhD
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  2. Christina M. Bancej MSc
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  3. Judy Snider MSc
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  4. Shelly A. Vik BSc
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Correspondence to Colleen J. Maxwell PhD.

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Maxwell, C.J., Bancej, C.M., Snider, J. et al. Factors Important in Promoting Cervical Cancer Screening among Canadian Women: Findings from the 1996–97 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Can J Public Health 92, 127–133 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404946

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