Background: Cervical cancer screening, which includes a Papanicolaou (Pap) test, is an effective method in reducing cervical cancer mortality and increasing cervical cancer survival rates by detecting abnormal lesions and cancerous cells at an early stage. Cervical cancer screening in the U.S., implemented in the 1960s, remains a public health success. However, despite its widespread availability and accessibility, there are still women who do not undergo screening due to either real or perceived barriers.

Methods: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2016 data, a public data set collected by the (U.S.) CDC, was used to assess such barriers to cervical cancer screening in female respondents and in women who report having health care coverage. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) to explore variables, including age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, marital status, and health care access, among these women.

Results: The findings of the study suggest that populations of women who are less likely to receive screening include women aged 18-24 years (33.91%), students (17.49%), women with an income less than $10,000 (11.39%), women who never married (41.53%), and African American (11.40%), Hispanic (12.35%) and Asian (6.10%) women.

Conclusions: Our findings can be used to create education programs that address misconceptions about cancer risk and screening. Implementation of screening programs that are more culturally conscious and geared towards medically underserved populations can assist in reducing disparities in screening.