Recency of Pap smear screening: a multivariate model.

Most descriptive reports of women who have not received recent Pap smear screening have been limited to bivariate descriptions. The purpose of this study was to develop a multivariate model to predict the recency of Pap smear screening. A systematic sample of women residents, aged 25 to 74 years, in upstate New York was selected. The women were asked to report use of Pap smear screening during several time periods, their congruence with recommended medical practice, general use of medical services, and a variety of sociodemographic indicators. A log linear weighted least squares regression model was developed, and it explained 30 percent of the variance in recency of Pap smear screening behavior. While the sociodemographic variables were important predictors in the model, the medical care variables were the strongest predictors of recent Pap smear use. A significant relationship between race and recency of Pap smear testing was not supported by these data.