OBJECTIVE To determine the coverage and focus of cervical cancer screening (Pap smears) in a population-based sample in Brazil. METHODS Cross-sectional cluster survey covering 1730 women aged 20 years or older with a history of sexual activity. Information was collected on social, demographic and behavioral variables, knowledge of and use of the Pap test. RESULTS Of women aged 25-59 years, ...

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE The Papanicolaou (Pap) test has been shown to be effective in preventing cervical cancer. However, both the national and international literature shows that Pap testing has not reached the level of coverage desired. The objective of this study was to assess women's knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the Pap test and to investigate whether there are any associatio...

INTRODUCTION Cervical cancer is a serious public health problem in South Africa. Even though the screening is free in health facilities in South Africa, the Pap smear uptake is very low. The objective of the study is to investigate the knowledge and beliefs of female university students in South Africa. METHODS A cross sectional study was conducted among university women in South Africa to el...

Among the identified barriers to HPV vaccination is the concern that women may compensate for their reduced susceptibility to cervical cancers by reducing cervical cancer screening. This exploratory study examined the relationship between cervical cancer screening rates and HPV vaccination. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a convenience sample of women aged 21-35 attending a local mi...

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer screening guidelines were substantially revised in 2002 and 2003. Little information is available about primary care physicians' current Papanicolaou (Pap) test screening practices, including initiation, frequency, and stopping. OBJECTIVE To assess current Pap test screening practices in the United States. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Nationally repres...

This study examined Papanicolaou (Pap) test utilization, Pap test results, and cervical cancer incidence among First Nations (FN) women living in Manitoba, Canada taking into account age group, time period, and area of residence. Six population-based data sources were linked at an individual level. Negative binomial regression was used to compare Pap test utilization and results between FN and ...

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer but there is no economically justified screening method. Although we can detect endometrial cells in the sample using PAP test, many studies show low sensitivity and positive predictive value of PAP test for the diagnosis of endometrial cancer. The goal of this research was to determine significance of PAP test for the diagnostics of en...

OBJECTIVE To determine relationships of socio-economic factors and contraceptive behaviours with PAP testing in sexually active women aged 15-19 who had received physician services in northern Nova Scotia in the previous year. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was completed by adolescents attending four high schools in three counties in northern Nova Scotia. Questions concerned contraceptive b...

The aim of this study was to evaluate medical and economic justification of vaginal smears as a part of primary screening for cervical carcinoma and its precursors. Study included 245.048 participants whose VCE (vaginal, cervical, endocervical) smears were examined at Department of clinical cytology of University Hospital Center Osijek from 2003 till 2008. There were 12.639 (5.2%) abnormal find...

OBJECTIVES This article examines the associations between women's characteristics and getting or not getting a Pap test. DATA SOURCE The data are from the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) conducted by Statistics Canada. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES Multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the odds of women not complying with Pap test guidelines, that is, of never ha...