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

Abstract #118397

Ann L. Coker, PhD¹, Kathryn J. Luchok, PhD², Cornelia Ramsey, PhD³, Tamra E. Meyer, MPH⁴, Katherine Eggleston, MSPH⁵, Mary Modayil, MSPH, PhDc⁶, Suzanne T. Cordray, MPH³, and Irene Prabhu Das, MPH, PhD(c)⁷. (1) School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1200 Herman Pressler, PO Box 20186, Houston, TX 77225, 713-500-9955, Ann.L.Coker@uth.tmc.edu, (2) Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, 800 Sumter Street HESC 216, Columbia, SC 29208, (3) Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, (4) Epidemiology, University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler, Houston, TX 77030, (5) Epidemiology, University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, 1200 Herman Pressler, Houston, TX 77030, (6) Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, 800 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, (7) Arnold School of Public Health, Dept of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208

Background: Qualitative data suggest that many women use spirituality to cope with life stresses. We explore the role of spirituality (greater reliance on a higher power) and active coping in older low-income women's choices to obtain timely follow-up care for an abnormal Pap test.

Methods: 204 women screened through the CDC-funded Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in Mississippi and South Carolina who had abnormal Pap results that required follow-up completed telephone interviews for this cross-sectional study. 62% of women with phone contact completed interviews.

Results: The mean age of women participating was 54.4 (± 5.2) and 38% had less than a high school education. 62% were African-American, 32% were White and 4.9% were Native American, Hispanic, or of a mixed race. 73.5% received timely follow-up care (within 6 months). Neither race, age, education, social support nor stress scores were associated with receiving timely follow-up care. However, women with higher spirituality scores (10 items, alpha= 0.86) were less likely to receive follow-up care (OR = 0.77; p=0.01) and women with higher active coping scores (18 items, alpha= 0.68) were more likely to receive timely follow-up care (p=0.03).

Conclusion: Understanding the role of spirituality and active coping in motivating women to seek needed care may provide important insights into women's health related behaviors. This information could be used to develop interventions to improve adherence for abnormal Pap follow-up care.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the presentation, the participant will be able to (
• identify factors affecting women’s adherence to abnormal Pap test follow-up; (
• describe racial differences in the effects of spirituality on adherence behavior for abnormal Pap test results; and (
• explain how these factors affect women’s adherence to abnormal Pap test follow-up.

Keywords: Women's Health, 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.