141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

288560
Pap testing in college women: Individual behaviors and characteristics as important factors


Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 5:10 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Chukwuemeka Okafor, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, Gainesville, FL
Natalie Kelso, MSW, Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, Gainesville, FL
John Friary, MS, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, Gainesville, FL
Phillip Barkley, MD, Student Health Care Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Robert L. Cook, MD, MPH, College of Public Health and Health Professions, Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Background. The Pap test has contributed to the decline in incidence and mortality from cervical cancer. Pap testing, recommended for all women aged >21 years, may be low in college women. In this study, we determined Pap testing rates and identified associated individual behaviors and characteristics in college women.

Objective. To determine Pap testing rates and assess individual characteristics associated with Pap testing.

Methods. A convenience sample of 351 women aged 22 and above (59% White; mean age of 26) recruited from a university campus completed a questionnaire in 2011. Bivariate and multivariate analyses adjusted for condom use and race were performed.

Results. Prevalence of ever having a Pap test was 83%. Women were significantly (P<0.05) more likely to undergo a Pap test if they were white (93% vs. 65% for blacks), reported condom use (89% vs. 80%), had > 5 vaginal sex partners (100% vs. 83%) or smoked cigarettes/marijuana > 3 times weekly (95% vs. 82%) within the past year. No significant association was found with any history of STDs or HPV vaccination. In the multivariate model, women were more likely to have a Pap test if they reported condom use (OR=2.9, 95% CI 1.4-6.2) and whites were more likely to have a Pap test than blacks (OR=7.2, 95% CI 2.9-17.6)

Conclusion. We found that 17% of college women >22yrs have never had a Pap test. Strategies that target minority women and those with few sex partners will be valuable in improving Pap testing rates in college women.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Assess Pap testing rate in a sample of college women Describe individual behaviors and characteristics associated with Pap testing in a sample of college women

Keyword(s): Cancer Screening, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a strong background in health behavior/education, and epidemiology. I also have multiple experience in research that involved assessing health program needs and health promotion/interventions.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4430.0: Reaching subgroups: Learning from cervical cancer prevention and control