Cervical health literacy among women in jail

Women in jails and prisons have four-five times the rates of cervical cancer compared to their sisters in the free world. Individual health history, behaviors, victimization, and access to screening only partly explain the disparity in cancer rates. The objective of this study was to explore the cervical health literacy among women in jail as a possible explanatory factor for elevated cervical cancer risk. We used data collected with 35 women in a Midwestern county jail through three separate focus groups and in-depth interviews with each woman. Though we recruited women based on their self-report of abnormal Pap history in the last five years, we found that many women misinterpreted abnormal Pap events as any reproductive health problem diagnosis, such as ovarian cysts, bleeding, and sexually transmitted infections. The women's misinterpretation of “abnormal Pap” was common, despite overall high general health literacy scores. We felt that misinterpretation of abnormal Pap diagnosis may prevent women from getting appropriate follow-up care. This study has implications for the development of general sexual and cervical health education for the high risk population of women who move through the criminal justice system.