Table 2.
Cervical Cancer Screening Perceptions and Behaviors Among 710 My Body My Test-3 Participants, Overall and by Race and Ethnicity
| Overall (N = 710) | White non-Latina/Hispanic (n = 287) | Black non-Latina/Hispanic (n = 356) | Latina/Hispanic (n = 67) | p-Value (Black vs. White) | p-Value (Latina/Hispanic vs. White) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk appraisal | Mean [1 (low)–4 (high)] (SD) | |||||
| Perceived risk of cervical cancer (3-item scale)a | 2.63 (0.72) | 2.71 (0.66) | 2.58 (0.76) | 2.62 (0.78) | 0.03 | 0.36 |
| Embodiment of risk (2-item scale)b | 2.47 (0.97) | 2.36 (0.91) | 2.54 (1.01) | 2.62 (0.97) | 0.02 | 0.04 |
| Perceived severity of cervical cancer | 3.63 (0.73) | 3.64 (0.69) | 3.60 (0.78) | 3.74 (0.61) | 0.49 | 0.32 |
| Anticipated regret of getting screened if the test ended up being painful | 1.56 (0.89) | 1.45 (0.80) | 1.60 (0.92) | 1.79 (1.02) | 0.03 | <0.01 |
| Anticipated regret of not getting screened if an abnormality was found in the future | 3.63 (0.87) | 3.65 (0.85) | 3.58 (0.93) | 3.87 (0.49) | 0.30 | 0.06 |
| Belief that she personally needs a Pap test even if she takes good care of herself | 3.33 (0.99) | 3.42 (0.92) | 3.29 (1.03) | 3.16 (1.10) | 0.11 | 0.06 |
| Belief that there is little a person can do to reduce her risk of cervical cancer | 1.89 (1.02) | 1.83 (0.94) | 1.90 (1.08) | 2.08 (1.08) | 0.40 | 0.07 |
| Would rather not know if she had cervical cancer | 1.31 (0.80) | 1.31 (0.76) | 1.29 (0.79) | 1.45 (0.96) | 0.87 | 0.19 |
| Screening perceptions | ||||||
| Positive perceptions of screening (3-item scale)c | 3.74 (0.42) | 3.76 (0.34) | 3.73 (0.47) | 3.71 (0.43) | 0.41 | 0.43 |
| Negative perceptions of screening (2-item scale)d | 2.77 (0.86) | 2.70 (0.83) | 2.89 (0.87) | 2.44 (0.91) | <0.01 | 0.03 |
| Perceived effectiveness of screening in lowering chances of getting cervical cancer | 2.91 (1.20) | 2.72 (1.24) | 2.99 (1.18) | 3.25 (1.05) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| How nervous does screening make you feel?e | 1.88 (0.69) | 1.86 (0.66) | 1.85 (0.71) | 2.06 (0.74) | 0.81 | 0.04 |
| Stigma | ||||||
| Belief that if she had cervical cancer, people would think she slept around | 1.47 (0.94) | 1.36 (0.80) | 1.52 (1.01) | 1.66 (1.08) | 0.03 | 0.02 |
| Screening intent | ||||||
| Has thought about getting a Pap test in the past year | 2.74 (1.08) | 2.63 (1.01) | 2.82 (1.12) | 2.75 (1.08) | 0.03 | 0.44 |
| Competing health priorities are keeping her from getting screened right now | 2.37 (1.17) | 2.51 (1.16) | 2.25 (1.17) | 2.43 (1.20) | <0.01 | 0.61 |
| Confidence in her ability to get screening if she wants | 2.99 (1.14) | 3.02 (1.09) | 2.95 (1.17) | 3.04 (1.21) | 0.45 | 0.86 |
| Seeking screening | N (%) yes | |||||
| Has tried to get screening in the past year | 132 (19) | 40 (14) | 79 (22) | 13 (19) | 0.01 | 0.26 |
Bold p-values indicate p < 0.05.
Based on responses to the following questions: What is your race or ethnicity? Are you Latina or Hispanic?
Perceived risk (three-item scale): (1) worry about getting cervical cancer, (2) chance of getting cervical cancer without regular screening, and (3) agreement/disagreement with the statement “I have almost no chance of getting cervical cancer.” Greater worry, higher perceived likelihood, and disagreement with the statement indicate higher perceived risk. All scales identified via exploratory factor analysis and confirmed with Cronbach's alpha ≥0.6.
Embodiment of risk (two-item scale): agreement/disagreement with statements (1) “I can sense if my cervix is healthy” and (2) “I can sense if there is something wrong with my cervix.” Agreement indicates higher embodiment of risk.
Positive screening perceptions (three-item scale): agreement/disagreement with statements (1) “The responsible thing to do is get regular screening,” (2) “It is important to get regular cervical cancer screening,” and (3) “I trust Pap smears to give accurate information about my health.”
Negative screening perceptions (2-item scale): agreement/disagreement with statements (1) “Cervical cancer screening is physically uncomfortable” and (2) “Cervical cancer screening is embarrassing.”
Responses collected on a 3-point scale: 1 (not nervous), 2 (somewhat nervous), or 3 (very nervous).