糖心破解版

Purpose:
Papanicolaou (Pap) smear services are available in most urban areas in Botswana.听Yet most women in such areas do not screen regularly for cancer of the cervix. The purpose of听this article is to present findings on the associations of demographic variables and Health Belief听Model constructs with Pap smear screening among urban women in Botswana.

Sample and methods:
The study included a convenience sample of 353 asymptomatic women听aged 30 years and older who were living in Gaborone, Botswana. Data were collected using听a demographic questionnaire and items of the Health Belief Model. Data analysis included听descriptive statistics for demographic variables and bivariate and ordinal (logit) regression to听determine the associations of demographic variables.

Results:
Having health insurance and having a regular health care provider were significant听predictors of whether or not women had a Pap smear. Women with health insurance were听more likely to have had a Pap smear test than women without health insurance (91% vs 36%).

Similarly, women who had a regular health care provider were more likely to have had a Pap听smear test than women without a regular health care provider (94% vs 42%). Major barriers听to screening included what was described as 鈥渓aziness鈥� for women who had ever had a Pap听smear (57%) and limited information about Pap smear screening for women who had never听had a Pap smear (44%).

Conclusion: There is a need for more information about the importance of the Pap smear test听and for increased access to screening services in Botswana.

Keywords:
cervical, screening, barriers, access, beliefs

This article was published in the following Dove Press Journal:
International Journal of Women鈥檚 Health
October 23, 2013