Abstract
Background. Proportionally, India has the highest mortality from cervical cancer in the world. Methods. A 2nd-year medical student recruited 299 women from a gynecology clinic in Kolkata, India who completed a questionnaire assessing demographic information; health care history; Pap test utilization; and knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about cervical cancer and screening. Results. A total of 10% had received a Pap test at least once. Most women reported “limited” to “no” knowledge of cervical cancer (84%) and the Pap test (95%). Age (P < .013) and perceived knowledge of a Pap test (P < 0.001) were significant predictors of first-time screening. Conclusions. Findings suggest a need to increase cervical cancer awareness in the community and to develop community-based screening programs. J Cancer Educ. 2008; 23:253-259.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank Dr Bibek Rakshit, Dr Samir Roy, and the staff of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at SSKM hospital for their support and help with translation of the surveys and guidance for effective data collection. The authors would also like to thank Dr Patricia Mullan for providing valuable feedback about this article. In addition, this project could not have been completed without the monetary support of the Summer Biomedical Research Program (SBRP) at the University of Michigan Medical School. Finally, the Health Belief Model interview questions were provided with written permission for print and nonprint use from Dr Theresa Byrd.
Notes
Supported by a grant from the University of Michigan Medical School Summer Biomedical Research Program.