Between youth and adulthood: focus group discussions with 30-year-old women about cervical cancer and its prevention in urban Sweden.
BACKGROUND
Although there is a significant amount of research on cervical cancer screening (CCS), few studies address screening experiences of women related to reasoning about health maintenance and disease prevention in general. Research tends to neglect experiences in different phases of life and experiences of women with different screening histories. Recent literature primarily focuses on adolescents targeted for human papilloma virus vaccinations, whereas perspectives of women who need continued CCS are lacking.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to explore how 30-year-old women reason about health, ill health, health maintenance, and disease prevention, in relation to cervical cancer, its prevention, and screening.


METHODS
Through a population-based CCS registry, we randomly sampled women to attend focus group discussions stratified by previous patterns in screening history and test results. Data from 38 attendees were inductively analyzed.


RESULTS
Women's discussions encompassed temporal aspects of the past and the future, with youth in the rearview mirror and the demands of adulthood ahead. Matters related to sickness, including cancer and its prevention, were described as distant and not prioritized in this phase of life. This situation was compounded by lack of relevant information about cervical cancer and screening.


CONCLUSIONS
The manner 30-year-old women self-defined themselves in the transition between youth and adulthood appears to strongly influence their reasoning about CCS and other forms of health maintenance and disease prevention.


CONCLUSIONS
Cervical cancer screening programs are challenged to adapt both information and organizations to new cohorts of women with different needs and life situations.
Blomberg
Karin
K
School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, S-70182O Örebro , Sweden. karin.blomberg@oru.se
Widmark
Catarina
C
Ternestedt
Britt-Marie
BM
Törnberg
Sven
S
Tishelman
Carol
C
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000517:prevention & control; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016387:Women's Health
D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines