141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

276618
Determinants of cervical cancer screening among a community-based sample of women with intellectual disabilities

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

Susan Parish, MSW, PhD , Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Rates of receipt of cervical cancer screening among women with intellectual disabilities are reported to be the worst for any population subgroup in the United States. While barriers to receipt of preventive care for this population are well-established, less is known about the determinants to care. We collected medical record data from 2006-2010 for a sample of women with intellectual disabilities (n=199) living in the community across one Southeastern state in the United States. We found rates of receipt of Pap tests were markedly lower than the Healthy People targets or rates of receipt of women without disabilities. 53% of women aged 21 years and older received a Pap test over a 3-year period in 2008, 2009, or 2010. Women with intellectual disabilities who lived in residential facilities, in rural communities, and who had received a physical exam, had better rates of receipt of care compared to other women with intellectual disabilities. Assertive measures are needed to increase the number of women with intellectual disabilities receiving cervical cancer screening according to clinical guidelines. Our findings indicate that women living at home with families may be especially in need of intervention. Our findings also suggest that disability and health advocates could encourage women with intellectual disabilities to receive annual physicals to improve rates of receipt of Pap tests.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Compare cervical cancer screening rates among women with and without intellectual disabilities. Describe determinants of receipt of cervical cancer screening for women with intellectual disabilities living in the community. Discuss ways disability and health advocates can increase the rate of receipt of cervical cancer screening for women with intellectual disabilities.

Keywords: Disability, Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal investigator of multiple federally-funded grants focusing on the health, health care, and well-being of people with disabilities and their families. I served as principal investigator of a three-year randomized controlled trail to evaluate a health promotion intervention for women with intellectual disabilities related to screenings for cervical and breast cancer.
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.