Factors that Inhibit Compliance with Recommended Papanicolaou (PAP) Smear Screening in African-American Women

Friday, July 15, 2011: 2:05 PM

Valecia Carter, PhD, RN
Depart of Nursing, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX

Learning Objective 1: identify barriers to Pap smear screening compliance in African American women as perceived by African American women.

Learning Objective 2: identify and discuss interventions that may assist in increasinig compliance with recommended PAP smear screenings in African American women.

This presentation reviews the findings of a study on barriers to compliance with engaging in recommended PAP smear screening in African American women. Numerous statistics show a higher morbidity and mortality rate related to cervical cancer in African American women in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts. Early detection of abnormal cervical cells through PAP smear screenings can facilitate early treatment which is necessary to decrease this alarming disparity; therefore, it is imperative that health care providers identify barriers to receiving recommended PAP smear screenings. This descriptive design study used percentages and frequencies, t-tests and chi-square analysis to identify factors that inhibit the African American woman’s compliance with engaging in this life saving behavior. A comparative analysis between clients receiving care at a land-based and a mobile clinic site was completed on the four subscale variables of cost, convenience, negative emotions and knowledge. Subsequently, these subscales were correlated to compliance with surveyed demographic variables. Results indentified cost as the most frequent barrier, followed by lack of knowledge. The barriers of costs and knowledge were significantly different between the land based and the mobile clinic sites. Age and distance were identified as statistically significant demographic barriers to participants at the land-based and mobile clinic site.