Factors Associated with Adherence to Cervical Cancer Screening among Women in Songphenong District, Suphanburi Province

Abstract

This descriptive correlational research aimed to examine factors associated with the adherence to cervical cancer screening among women in Songphenong District, Suphanburi Province. The 455 women aged 30-60 years, which were the target group for cervical cancer screening, in 12 selected responsible Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospitals, were randomly selected. The research tools were composed of a structured interview questionnaire and the screening records of cervical cancer cases. Data were collected from June 1, to July 31, 2013. Statistics used for data analysis included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Chi-square test.

The results showed that only 33.60% of target women adhered to obtain cervical cancer screening. Adherence to cervical cancer screening was significantly associated with the study factors including marital status (c² = 11.251, p < .01), delivery history (c² = 3.134, p < .05), perceived barriers to screening adherence (c² = 6.649, p < .05), and receiving social support from peers and family members/spouse (c² = 13.641, p < .001 and c² = 6.043, p < .01, respectively). The other factors were not associated with screening adherence. The other factors were not associated with screening adherence.

This study suggested that regular cervical cancer screening among women should be promoted continuously. A screening service should be designed to reduce women’s perceived barriers. Also, peers and family members/spouse should be considered as key persons to encourage the target women to seek regular cervical cancer screening