Cervical Cancer Screening in the National Survey of Family Growth, 2011–2015

Authors:

Anatasha Crawford (Presenter)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Vicki Benard, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Meg Watson, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mona Saraiya, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Public Health Statement: Current cervical cancer screening recommendations include screening every three years with a Pap test for average risk women 21 to 65 years. Women 30 to 65 years may lengthen their screening interval to five years by combining Pap and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. However, many women are confused about when and how often to get screened.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine a national sample of women 15–44 years and their receipt of cervical cancer screening.

Methods/Approach: We used 2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) survey data to examine cervical cancer screening behavior among 11,300 females aged 15–44 years. We examined Pap and HPV testing and participant perceptions of appropriate screening intervals by age groups.

Results: Pap testing increased with age (26% aged 15–20, 84.5% aged 21–29, and 90.6% aged 30–44). HPV testing also increased with age (14.5% aged 15–20, 53.6% aged 21–29, and 50.5% aged 30–44). Most participants believed that they should be screened annually, via Pap test (15–20 years: 57.2%, 21–29 years: 76.9%, and 30–44 years: 74.8%) or HPV test (15–20 years: 46.0%, 21–29 years: 56.0%, and 30–44 years: 46.7%).

Conclusions/Implications: One-fourth of females under 21 reported being screened, despite recommendations. One-half of females 21–29 reported being screened with a HPV test despite recommendations. More than half of the females in each group believed they needed to be screened with Pap testing annually. Additional research is needed to understand the factors underlying these observed discrepancies between recommendations and reported screening practices.