title: Factors affecting cervical screening among Turkish women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical cancer is second most common cancer among women worldwide.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determinate pap smear test rates and affecting factors among Turkish women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive and cross-sectional questionnaire study covered 397 women consulting at Gynecology Outpatient Clinic of Birth and Children's Hospital in Ordu province, enrolled non-consecutively as volunteers after providing informed consent. Data for women who had a history of at least one pap smear in her history were compared with those having none.
  
  
  RESULTS
  24.7% of women had knowledge about the pap smear test and 11.8% of them had undergone at least one pap smear test. Higher mean age (p=0.000), high education level (p=0.013), duration of marriage (p=0.001), working outside home (p=0.000), use of contraceptive method (p=0.000), history of cancer in women's family or relatives (p=0.021), having a sexually transmitted disease history (p=0.042), positive attitude towards gynecologic examination of women (p=0.000) and considering oneself in a cervical cancer risk group (p=0.004) were positively associated with a pap smear test history.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since the rate of pap smear testing was very low, education of women about screening and protection against cervical cancer appears a high priority.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Health, Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey. nilufererbil@mynet.com
authors.forename: Nülüfer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Erbil
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tezcan
authors.forename: Elif Nur
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Gür
authors.forename: Merve
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Neslihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aliş
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*