Is there a language divide in pap test use?
OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine whether primary language use, measured by language of interview, is associated with disparities in cervical cancer screening.


METHODS
We undertook a secondary data analysis of a pooled sample of the 2001 and 2003 California Health Interview Surveys. The surveys were conducted in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese.


METHODS
The study was a cross-sectional analysis of 3-year Pap test use among women ages 18 to 64, with no reported cervical cancer diagnosis or hysterectomy (n = 38,931). In addition to language of interview, other factors studied included race/ethnicity, marital status, income, educational attainment, years lived in the United States, insurance status, usual source of care, smoking status, area of residence, and self-rated health status.


METHODS
We fit weighted multivariate logit models predicting 3-year Pap test use as a function of language of interview, adjusting for the effects of specified covariates.


RESULTS
Compared with the referent English interview group, women who interviewed in Spanish were 1.65 times more likely to receive a Pap test in the past 3 years. In contrast, we observed a significantly reduced risk of screening among women who interviewed in Vietnamese (odds ratio [OR] 0.67; confidence interval [CI] 0.48-0.93), Cantonese (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.30-0.66), Mandarin (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.33-0.72), and Korean (OR 0.62; 0.40-0.98).


CONCLUSIONS
Improved language access could reduce cancer screening disparities, especially in the Asian immigrant community.
Ponce
Ninez A
NA
UCLA Department of Health Services & UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles, California 90095-1772, USA. nponce@ucla.edu
Chawla
Neetu
N
Babey
Susan H
SH
Gatchell
Melissa S
MS
Etzioni
David A
DA
Spencer
Benjamin A
BA
Brown
E Richard
ER
Breen
Nancy
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007802:Language; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D044469:Racial Groups; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*