Findings from the National Cancer Institute and Vietnamese American Medical Association Pap Test Barriers Survey for Health Care Providers


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3175.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 1:10 PM

Abstract #107805

Felicia M. Solomon, MPH¹, Rhonda W. DeJoice¹, Si V. Nguyen, MD², Harry T. Kwon, MPH, CHES³, and Nina Berlin³. (1) Office of Education and Special Initiatives, National Cancer Institute, 6116 Executive Blvd., Ste 202, Room 2028, Bethesda, MD 20892-8334, 301-594-8989, solomonf@mail.nih.gov, (2) Vietnamese American Medical Association, 24892 Paseo Vendaval, Lake Forest, CA 92630, (3) Division of Applied Human Technology, ORC Macro, 11785 Beltsville Drive, Calverton, MD 20705

Vietnamese women living in the United States have a cervical cancer incidence rate that is five times that of white women. Contributing to this problem is the low rate of cervical cancer screening among this high-risk population. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is developing an educational booklet to raise awareness about the importance of Pap tests in order to increase screening among never- and rarely-screened Vietnamese women. This project reports the results of a physician-survey (N=142) conducted among members of the Vietnamese American Medical Association as part of formative research to inform the design of the booklet. Information was collected on physician views about cervical cancer, barriers to Pap testing among Vietnamese women, types of patient education materials preferred by physicians, feedback on a previous NCI Pap test brochure for Vietnamese women, and background of the respondent. Almost all of the respondents (95 percent) thought that Pap tests were “very important” in the early detection of cervical cancer in Vietnamese women. Further, knowledge about the importance of Pap tests was viewed as the most influential factor in contributing to why Vietnamese women may not seek a Pap test. Print materials that included both English and Vietnamese translations in the same publication were cited as a major communication tool. Information on the barriers to cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese women from a physician's perspective will be used to guide the development of materials for Vietnamese women, as well as providers who serve this population.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

· List the various recommendations by health care providers about what should be done to encourage more Vietnamese women to get Pap tests
· Articulate the implications for cancer control and prevention activities, as suggested by the study findings
· Discuss future research directions that are suggested by the study findings.

Keywords: Asian Women, Cervical Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Innovative Research for Public Health Advocacy in Asian American Communities

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA