title: Acceptability of self-collection of specimens for HPV DNA testing in an urban population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the acceptability of self-collection of specimens for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing and to explore whether use of self-collected specimens would increase intention to participate in regular screening among low-income, inner-city, minority women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A written survey was administered to 172 women after they underwent gynecological examination and self-collection of a sample for HPV DNA testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants agreed that ease of use (69%), less painful procedure (62%), "could do it myself" (56%), and privacy (52%) were desirable characteristics of the self-sampling procedure they performed. Most of the participants (57%) reported that there was nothing they did not like about self-sampling; however, the majority (68%) preferred the clinician-collected test. Those recruited through a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic were significantly more likely than those recruited at a cancer screening clinic (57% vs. 24%), those with some or more college education were significantly more likely than those with less education (43% vs. 26%), and those who were not Hispanic were significantly more likely than those who were Hispanic (49% vs. 28%) to prefer the self-collected test. Although most women (47%) reported that they would be most likely to attend regular screening if tested by a clinician during a pelvic examination, 21% asserted that self-collection at home would increase their likelihood of participation in screening.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most of the predominantly Hispanic, low-income, uninsured, and recently screened women in the study preferred clinician-collected HPV tests to self-collected sampling, self-sampling is acceptable to the majority and may increase the likelihood of participation in cervical cancer screening programs.
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anhang
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Telerant
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chiasson
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011203:Poverty; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods*; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral