Factors | Main findings |
---|---|
Knowledge | – a highly consistent factor contributing to higher participation of women in Pap screening [41, 50, 66] |
SES | – low socio-economic status is associated with higher cervical cancer rates, lower Pap smear rates, and inadequate follow up [41, 50, 51] |
– women age 50+ with higher education are increasingly more up-to-date regarding screening services with each educational level [32] | |
Healthcare, access to healthcare, insurance | – not having health insurance is associated with not having a recent Pap test in southern US women [41] |
– universal healthcare appears to contribute to the reduction of socio-economic status related differences or differences in screening based on residential location [75] | |
– an older study however showed that social factors discourage Australia's Indigenous women's use of and access to health services for screening, diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer [24] | |
Age | – younger women age 19–26 exhibit more knowledge and participate more in preventive practices than women age 40–70 [81] |
Marital status | – participation is higher in married women in Kuwait compared to unmarried women [50] |
History of cervical infection, family history | – higher prevalence of ever having a Pap test is observed in women with either personal or family history of cancer [50] |
Health expert’s willingness to give screening recommendation | – physician's recommendation is one of the strongest predictors of having had a Pap test [41] |
Lifestyle | – smokers and obese persons adhere to Pap testing less frequently [49] |