Women's attitudes to cervical smear testing.

This study examined women's attitudes and motivations towards cervical screening. The sample consisted of 680 women attending three general practices in two New Zealand towns. Subjects completed a questionnaire relating to their knowledge of the cervical smear test and their current cervical smear status. The questionnaire also assessed what influenced their decision to have an up to date smear test or what reasons subjects gave for not having a current test. Women's preference for the smear taker was also investigated. Most women in the sample (92%) indicated they knew what a cervical screening test was. Current smears were proportionately less common in the at risk groups. The most frequently reported motivation for women to have a current smear was that their doctor had recommended it (30.6%), followed by the response that it was an established part of their personal health routine (20.2%). Most women who didn't have current smear tests gave the reason that they had not got around to having a test (39.4%), with the next reported reason being that the test was embarrassing (17.8%) and their doctor didn't suggest it (14.7%). The majority of women in the sample (59.7%) preferred their own doctor to do the test. The findings of this study highlight the importance of the women's general practitioner in influencing women in high risk groups to have smear tests. They also suggest significant improvements in increasing the number of women screened could be made using existing services.