ASPO Abstracts
The Association between Cigarette Smoking and Cervical Cancer Screening Compliance in the United States.
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose:To examine the association between cigarette smoking and cervical cancer screening in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States (US).Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the National Health and Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Women between the ages of 21 to 65 years, with no prior history of cervical cancer or hysterectomy were included in the study. Women could be compliant for cervical cancer screening if they met the requirements set forth by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). These included screening using the Papanicolaou (Pap) test within 3 years; or for women 30 to 65, screening with a high-risk Human Papillomavirus (hrHPV) test within 5 years (could be done along with the pap test). The final sample included 10,448 women, 82.8% of whom had been screened for cervical cancer. Differences with regards to cervical cancer screening were examined between the groups using chi square tests (p <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression models examined the association between cigarette use and cervical cancer screening. All data was weighted to be nationally representative of the US population, and analysis was conducted using SAS software v. 9.4 (Cary, NC).Results:Significant differences emerged between the two groups by smoking status (p<.001) and socio-demographic factors, including: age, education, race, ethnicity, insurance status, marital status and period of residence in the US (all p values <.001). Additionally, body mass index (BMI), alcohol use, and self-reported health status also had significant associations (p <.001). In the multivariate model, current smokers were 32% less likely to get screened for cervical cancer compared to never smokers [odds ratio (OR) = 0.68, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.54, 0.86)]. Rates of cervical cancer screening were also low among women who had never married [OR = 0.32 (CI): 0.26, 0.38] and among those present in the US for less than 10 years [OR = 0.40 (CI): 0.30, 0.55]. Conclusion:Current smokers, women who never married, and recent US residents had significantly lower rates of cervical cancer screening. There are opportunities for targeted interventions to increase rates of cancer screening within these groups to positively impact public health.
Keywords: Cancer Screening, Tobacco Use, Health Disparities