PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lerman, Caryn
AU  - Caputo, Craig
AU  - Brody, David
TI  - Factors Associated With Inadequate Cervical Cancer Screening Among Lower Income Primary Care Patients
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.3.3.151
DP  - 1990 Jul 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Practice
PG  - 151--156
VI  - 3
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/3/3/151.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/3/3/151.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med1990 Jul 01; 3
AB  - This study identified factors associated with cervical cancer screening patterns among lower income primary care patients. One hundred forty-one women completed a self-administered questionnaire before their medical visit. The results indicated that 71 percent had a Papanicolaou (Pap) test in the past year, 14 percent had one between 1 and 3 years ago, and 15 percent had not had a Pap test for 3 or more years. Advanced age was associated with a reduced likelihood of adequate screening; 21 percent of women aged 50–64 years and 39 percent of those aged 65 years and older had not had a Pap test in the past 3 years. Factors positively associated with screening included perceived susceptibility to cervical cancer and the belief in the efficacy of Pap tests and benefits of screening. Fear of finding cancer was a significant barrier to cervical screening in this population. Of those women who had not been screened adequately, 58 percent were interested in obtaining Pap tests in the primary care setting. The implications for promoting cervical cancer screening in primary care practices are discussed.