Anju Ranjit1, Shailvi Gupta2, Ritesh Shrestha3, Adam L Kushner4, Benedict C Nwomeh5, Reinou S Groen6. 1. Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: aranjit@bwh.harvard.edu. 2. Surgeons OverSeas, New York, NY, USA; Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, East Bay, CA, USA. 3. Department of Surgery, Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. 4. Surgeons OverSeas, New York, NY, USA; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. 5. Surgeons OverSeas, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA. 6. Surgeons OverSeas, New York, NY, USA; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To estimate awareness and prevalence of cervical smear testing among women in Nepal. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data obtained as part of a nationwide household survey between May 25 and June 14, 2015, was undertaken. Information obtained from women aged 21-65years was included. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with having undergone cervical smear testing. RESULTS: A total of 829 women were included. Among 816 women who answered the relevant survey question, 710 (87.0%) had no knowledge of cervical smear tests. Only 39 (4.7%) of the 829 women had ever undergone a cervical smear. In multivariate analysis, having undergone a cervical smear was associated with literacy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-8.51; P=0.016) and living in rural areas (aOR 0.48, 95% CI 0.24-0.96; P=0.038). CONCLUSION: Nepali women rarely undergo cervical smear screening, with the lowest prevalence recorded among the illiterate and those living in rural areas. To boost screening rates, educational campaigns and rural outreach are needed.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate awareness and prevalence of cervical smear testing among women in Nepal. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data obtained as part of a nationwide household survey between May 25 and June 14, 2015, was undertaken. Information obtained from women aged 21-65years was included. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with having undergone cervical smear testing. RESULTS: A total of 829 women were included. Among 816 women who answered the relevant survey question, 710 (87.0%) had no knowledge of cervical smear tests. Only 39 (4.7%) of the 829 women had ever undergone a cervical smear. In multivariate analysis, having undergone a cervical smear was associated with literacy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-8.51; P=0.016) and living in rural areas (aOR 0.48, 95% CI 0.24-0.96; P=0.038). CONCLUSION: Nepali women rarely undergo cervical smear screening, with the lowest prevalence recorded among the illiterate and those living in rural areas. To boost screening rates, educational campaigns and rural outreach are needed.