Coverage and focus of a cervical cancer prevention program in southern Brazil Cobertura y concentración poblacional de un programa para la prevención del cáncer cervicouterino en el sur del Brasil

• Main Authors: Carlos Alberto Temes de Quadros, Cesar Gomes Victora, Juvenal Soares Dias da Costa
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2004
• Subjects: Papanicolaou smear; vaginal smear; physical examination; cross-sectional study; epidemiology; Medicine; R; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/ec1267e5d3f44571a8d167ceea2a07a2

OBJECTIVE: To determine the coverage and focus of cervical cancer screening (Pap smears) in a population-based sample in Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional cluster survey covering 1 730 women aged 20 years or older with a history of sexual activity. Information was collected on social, demographic and behavioral variables, knowledge of and use of the Pap test. RESULTS: Of women aged 25-59 years, who are the target population of the national cervical cancer screening program, 78.7% had had at least one Pap test in their lifetime, and 68.8% had had a Pap test in the last 3 years. Statistics for focus of the program showed that of the 637 women who reported having a Pap test in the last year, only 20.6% actually required one. The remainder were either outside the age range or had had another test less than 30 months previously. Prevalence of not having been tested in the previous 3 years was highest among black (41.7%) and low-income women (64.3%), and among those at greatest risk for cervical cancer (62.3% for women with three or more risk factors). Focus was inversely related to socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: Coverage rates were similar to those reported in other national studies, but this is the first report to examine the focus of the national program. We show that 8 of every 10 Pap tests were not necessary. Coverage levels remain unacceptably low among women of low socioeconomic status and those at greatest risk for cervical cancer. OBJETIVO: Determinar la cobertura y la concentración poblacional del tamizaje del cáncer cervicouterino (con la prueba de Papanicolaou) en una muestra poblacional en el Brasil. MÉTODOS: Encuesta transversal por conglomerados en una muestra de 1 740 mujeres de 20 años de edad o mayores con antecedentes de actividad sexual. Se recogió información acerca de las características sociales, demográficas y conductuales de estas mujeres, y sobre su familiaridad con la prueba de Papanicolau y la frecuencia con la que se la habían hecho. RESULTADOS: De las mujeres entre los 25 y 59 años de ...