Abstract

OBJECTIVES
To examine the screening rate of cervical cancer in women and to find out the predictive factors for participation in cervical cancer screening programs within their life-time and within the last two years. METHODS: The data was based on self-reported questionnaires from 1,613 women whose ages ranged from 26 to 60 years; this survey was performed between December 1999 and January 2000. This study analyzed the predictive factors for participation in cervical cancer screening programs within their life-time and within the last two years. A logistic regression analysis was performed in order to derive the significant variables from the predisposing factors (demographic factor, health promotion behavior, reproductive factor), intervention factors (information channel, relation with medical staff), and proximal factors (attitude, social influence, self-efficacy). All analyses were performed by the PC-SAS 6.12. RESULTS: Our analyses showed that the screening rate for the women who received a cervical cancer screening (Pap smear) more than once within their life-time was 56.1% while those who had received one within the last two years was 34.5%. The significant factors for participation in cervical cancer screening program within their life-time were their income, married age, health promotion score, relation with medical staffs, social influence, and self-efficacy. On the other hand, age, number of pregnancies, menarche age, relation with medical staffs, social influences, and self-efficacy were significant factors for those being screened within the last two years. The predictive power of the logit model within their life-time was 68.8% and that within the last two years was 66.6%. CONCLUSION: The predictive factors for participation in cervical cancer screening program within their life-time are different from those for within the last two years, and that women's relations with medical staffs and social influences were the critical factors impacting on cervical cancer screening rates.

• Keywords: Cervical cancer screeningScreening behaviorPredictive factor