Hmong American Women Pap Test Awareness and Involvement: Implications for Health Education in the Hmong American Community

We interviewed Hmong American women in La Crosse, Wisconsin to determine the coverage and perception of the Pap test, and we examined how socioeconomic status (SES) impacted those outcomes. We collected surveys from 186 female Hmong American residents, ages 18-64 at the time of the survey (January/February 2011). We found that the percentage of Hmong American women who have had the Pap tests in the past three years was 59.1% (110/186), while 62.9% (117/186) knew about the Pap test and its importance. Using Fisher's exact test to assess the independent effects and multinomial regression to assess the covariances, we identified that SES, especially level of education, played an important part in determining whether or not Hmong American women have taken the Pap test and have knowledge of the Pap test. However, multinomial regression did not suggest that family income level was a statistically significant factor. Based on the outccomes of this study, we recommend the following for future health education targeting Hmong American women: 1) education should be targetted to specific age groups, 2) introduction of different ways to access the Pap test based on income levels, 3) there should be a new emphasis on immigrant group health education, 4) have those who work with Hmong women take into consideration their different religious views and health beliefs, and 5) have health care providers become more culturally sensitive to Hmong American women when delivering health information and services. The presentation will also includes recommendations for continued research in Hmong American community.