Abstract
Study Objective
Investigate sexually active young women's knowledge of the term Pap smear since development of the HPV vaccine.
Design
Cross-sectional study conducted January–May 2007.
Setting
University health services clinic at a university in southern United States.
Participants
Sexually active women, age 18–24, presenting for a Pap smear or STD testing (N=145).
Main Outcome Measures
Pap smear knowledge was assessed by participants' written definition of the term Pap
smear and by multiple choice responses indicating Pap smear as a test for cervical
cancer/ HPV and not a pelvic exam, STD test, or pregnancy test.
Results
9.7% provided accurate definitions; 12.4% checked appropriate Pap smear synonyms.
68.5% incorrectly responded that Pap smear was the same as “pelvic exam”; 42.5% indicated
“STD test”; 11.7% indicated “pregnancy test.” Indicators of HPV risk (age of sexual
debut, previous abnormal Pap smear, previous STD diagnosis) were not associated with
knowledge. Never using condoms, increasing age, and lower depression scores predicted
accurate Pap smear definition rating (R2=0.08). Never using condoms, Caucasian race, and decreased lifetime number of sex partners
predicted accurate identification of Pap smear synonyms (R2=0.15).
Results
Few participants understood the meaning of the term Pap smear; there does not appear
to be improvement in women's knowledge after development of the HPV vaccine. Poor
Pap smear knowledge may affect young women's understanding of their overall sexual
health.
Key Words
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© 2009 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
