Factors of influence on women's intent to obtain Pap smears in one Taiwan community

Background: Cervical cancer ranks as the fifth most prevalent type of cancer in women in Taiwan. Papanicolau (Pap) smear examinations are effective at identifying cervical cancer. This research surveyed women who had not had a Pap smear for at least three years. Purpose: This study was designed to identify significant factors related to willingness to have a Pap smear in the future among women in one community. Methods: This community survey study recruited subjects conveniently selected from the cancer statistics registry of the Songshan District Health Center in Taipei city. Women with no record of receiving a Pap smear during the previous three-year period were invited to participate. Data were collected on Pap smear knowledge, health beliefs and respondent demographics using a self-report questionnaire. Results: A total of 180 women participated in this study. The study found that women had a generally low level of knowledge about Pap smears (mean score = 60.5, on a total score of 100). Subject knowledge correlated strongly with intent to obtain a Pap smear examination through the Mobile Pap Smear Unit, a mobile clinic that regularly visits neighborhoods. Women's intent to obtain a Pap test in the future at a hospital, local clinic, or community center was correlated to perceptions of severity of cervical cancer (r = -.14, p <.05), perceived benefits (r =.24, p <.01), perceived barriers (r = -.38, p <.05) and Pap smear knowledge (r =.29, p <.01). Logistic regression analysis found only perceived barriers and Pap smear knowledge to be predictors of intent to obtain a Pap smear screening at a hospital or local community clinic in the future. Perceived barrier was the only predictor of intent to do the screening at a Mobile Pap Smear Unit. A Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve analysis found that only perceived benefits can precisely identify intent to either obtain a Pap smear screening at hospital or local community clinics in the future or do the screening at Mobile Pap Smear Unit. Conclusion: Findings suggest healthcare professionals may positively influence women's intent to obtain a Pap smear by providing resources that include patient education regarding the value of the examination, testing convenience, and enhanced testing environment accessibility.