Factors affecting Pap smear uptake in a maternity hospital: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: To understand factors that influence women's decisions to go for Pap smears.

Background: Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women. In Singapore, cervical cancer is on the rise and has been found to be the eighth highest cause of death among women. Research has shown that regular screening for cervical cancer with Pap smear reduces cervical cancer-related mortality. However, Pap smear awareness is still limited and its uptake in Singapore is highly opportunistic, requiring the need for a deeper understanding of the factors that influence Pap smear uptake among women in Singapore.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used.

Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 350 participants (postnatal women of at least 21 years old) from a local maternity hospital. Data were collected using validated questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to analyse the data.

Results: Demographic factors, such as age, ethnicity and religion, as well as women's beliefs about the effectiveness of Pap smear in detecting cervical cancer, the desire to discover health problems early and considering Pap smear to be painful, were found to be factors significantly influencing Pap smear uptake. Healthcare professionals need to be mindful of these factors to address women's needs to encourage women to go for Pap smears.

Conclusion: Various factors were found to influence Pap smear uptake. Future interventions can take these factors into account for increasing Pap smear awareness.

Keywords: Pap smear; cervical cancer screening; health beliefs; nurses; nursing; postnatal women.