Table 2.

Results of Item Response Theory analysis for cervical cancer knowledge items (n = 512).

	Difficulty	Discrimination	Information
1. Cervical cancer cannot be prevented (F)	−0.76	0.62	0.09
2. A woman is at higher risk for developing cervical cancer if she has a weakened immune system (T)	0.25	1.03	0.26
3. A woman is at lower risk for developing cervical cancer if she smokes (F)	−1.85; −1.67	0.91; 1.04	0.21; 0.27
4. A woman is at higher risk of developing cervical cancer if she has had more than five sexual partners in her lifetime (T)	0.37; 0.34	0.99; 1.14	0.25; 0.32
5. Cervical cancer cannot be cured even if it is detected early (F)	−1.26	0.89	0.19
6. Vaginal bleeding between periods can be a sign of cervical cancer (T)	0.10; 0.10	3.63; 3.37	3.30; 2.82
7. Persistent vaginal discharge that smells unpleasant can be a sign of cervical cancer (T)	0.41; 0.41	1.85; 1.88	0.85; 0.88
8. Discomfort or pain during sex can be a sign of cervical cancer (T)	0.29; 0.29	2.48; 2.53	1.55; 1.60
9. Vaginal bleeding after menopause can be a sign of cervical cancer (T)	0.08; 0.09	2.38; 2.35	1.42; 1.38
10. Vaginal bleeding during or after sex can be a sign of cervical cancer (T)	0.40; 0.40	3.15; 3.17	2.48; 2.51
11. The Pap test can detect abnormal cells of the cervix before they become cancer (T)	−2.86; −2.52	0.99; 1.18	0.24; 0.35
12. Women who are currently in, or who have gone through menopause, do not need a Pap test (F)	−1.64	0.65	0.11
13. A woman should get a Pap test every year (F)	6.50	0.14	0.01
14. A woman who has never been sexually active still needs to get a Pap test (F)	–32.35	-0.07	0.001

Note: The 8 retained items included in the CCKS and the final IRT model parameters are bolded .In the Information column are provided maximum information values as per item information functions.