Young women and pap smears. (FYI).

Eight in 10 sexually experienced women seen at a hospital-based adolescent clinic in 1998-1999 intended to return as instructed for Pap smears or follow-up appointments after abnormal results, but after 15 months, only three in 10 had done so. (1) The 490 women, with an average age of 18, completed questionnaires that measured their knowledge and beliefs about Pap smears, perceived risk, communication with health care providers, impulsivity, risk-related behaviors and outcomes, family history of cervical cancer and background characteristics. According to results of multivariate analyses, women's odds of returning for recommended screening or follow-up were significantly elevated if they did not consider themselves impulsive (odds ratio, 1.7), they believed that the test is not painful (1.7) and prevents cervical cancer (1.8), and they expected the doctor to be honest with them (4.1); the odds of returning were reduced if women had cervical cancer in their family (0.3). The researchers suggest that these findings may be used in the development of interventions to increase young women's compliance with recommendations for obtaining Pap smears.

(1.) Kahn JA et al., Predictors of Papanicolaou smear return in a hospital-based adolescent and young adult clinic, Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2003, 101(3):490-499.

FYI is compiled and written by Dore Hollander, executive editor of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.