Table 1.
Demographic and Health-Related Characteristics of a National Sample of Women in the United States (n = 605)
| Demographic characteristics | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | |
| 21–40 | 207 (34.2) |
| 41–55 | 189 (31.2) |
| 56–65 | 209 (34.5) |
| Race/ethnicity | |
| Non-Hispanic white | 465 (76.9) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 55 (9.1) |
| Non-Hispanic other | 41 (6.8) |
| Hispanic | 44 (7.3) |
| Marital status | |
| Married or living with a partner | 411 (67.9) |
| Other | 194 (32.1) |
| Education | |
| College degree or more | 341 (56.4) |
| Less than a college degree | 264 (43.6) |
| Employment status | |
| Currently employed | 414 (68.4) |
| Not currently employed | 191 (31.6) |
| Income | |
| Less than $50,000 | 207 (34.2) |
| $50,000 or more | 360 (59.5) |
| Not reported | 38 (6.3) |
| Geographic region of residence | |
| Northeast | 129 (21.3) |
| North Central | 154 (25.5) |
| South | 189 (31.2) |
| West | 133 (22.0) |
| Urbanicity of residence | |
| Urban/metropolitan | 507 (83.8) |
| Rural/nonmetropolitan | 98 (16.2) |
| Sexual orientation | |
| Sexual minority | 59 (9.8) |
| Heterosexual | 546 (90.2) |
| Health-related characteristics | n (%) |
|---|---|
| BMI | |
| Underweight or normal weight | 193 (31.9) |
| Overweight | 161 (26.6) |
| Obese | 251 (41.5) |
| Smoking status | |
| Never smoker | 363 (60.0) |
| Former smoker | 160 (26.4) |
| Current smoker | 82 (13.6) |
| Check-up with health care provider in the last year | |
| Yes | 445 (73.6) |
| No | 160 (26.4) |
| Health insurance status | |
| No health insurance | 41 (6.8) |
| Public health insurance | 113 (18.7) |
| Private health insurance | 451 (74.5) |
| Within recommended cervical cancer screening guidelinesa | |
| Yes | 499 (82.5) |
| No | 106 (17.5) |
| History of abnormal Pap test results | |
| Yes | 221 (36.5) |
| No | 384 (63.5) |
| History of HPV infection | |
| Yes | 75 (12.4) |
| No | 530 (87.6) |
| Perceived likelihood of getting cervical cancerb,c | 2.03 (0.67) |
| Perceived severity of cervical cancerc,d | 3.47 (0.79) |
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
a
Based on guidelines that were in place at the time of our study (i.e., Pap test in the last 3 years or clinic-based HPV test in the last 5 years).21
b
4-point Likert scale with responses from 1 = ”No chance” to 4 = ”High chance.”
c
Mean and SD are reported.
d
4-point Likert scale with responses from 1 = ”Not at all” to 4 = ”Very.”
BMI, body mass index; HPV, human papillomavirus; SD, standard deviation.