Factors Associated with the Use of Uterine Cervical Cancer Screening Services in Korean Elderly Women

Abstract

Background: The Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test is an effective screening test for the early detection of uterine cervicalcancer. The Pap test still plays an important role in Korean elderly women, as uterine cervical cancer remains a frequentform of cancer and an important cause of death. However, the participation rate and other factors related to the Pap testin Korean elderly women have been studied insufficiently.Methods: This study included 654 individuals aged 65 and over who completed a cervical cancer screening questionnairefrom the Third Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005. Using multiple logistic regression, oddsratios and confidence intervals for the association between attendance of the Pap test and sociodemographic or healthrelatedfactors were calculated.Results: One hundred and eleven individuals (17.0%) of the study population showed compliance with Pap testingwithin the previous 2 years. We recognized that the most elderly women (75 years and over) or those with lower levels ofeducation were less likely to have had the test.Conclusion: Primary health care providers need to make efforts to improve attendance rates of Pap smear screening inKorean elderly women, individually taking into account previous Pap results, life expectancy, risk factors for cervicalcancer, and preferences. More attention will especially be needed among the eldest elderly or less educated elderlywomen.