Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the Pap test among women in Northeastern Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
The Papanicolaou (Pap) test has been shown to be effective in preventing cervical cancer. However, both the national and international literature shows that Pap testing has not reached the level of coverage desired. The objective of this study was to assess women's knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the Pap test and to investigate whether there are any associations between these three factors and the women's sociodemographic characteristics.


METHODS
Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Floriano, Piauí.


METHODS
The study was conducted among 493 women between November 2009 and December 2010. A questionnaire with precoded questions was sed, and the responses were analyzed in terms of appropriateness in relation to the Pap test.


RESULTS
The degrees of adequacy of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the Pap test were 36.7%, 67.2% and 69.6%, respectively. Among the main barriers against testing, absence of symptoms and a sense of embarrassment were the most notable.


CONCLUSIONS
Women who visit doctors periodically had the most appropriate practices regarding the Pap test, but their knowledge of the procedure was poor. This suggests that these women were not receiving adequate information about the benefits of periodic testing.
Universidade Federal do Piauí, Department of Health Sciences, FlorianoPiauí, Brazil.
Carla Lorenna Ferreira de
CL
Albuquerque
Universidade Federal do Piauí, Department of Health Sciences, FlorianoPiauí, Brazil, Nursing Undergraduate, Department of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), Floriano, Piauí, Brazil.
Marla da Paschoa
Mda P
Costa
Universidade Federal do Piauí, Department of Health Sciences, FlorianoPiauí, Brazil, Nursing Undergraduate, Department of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), Floriano, Piauí, Brazil.
Felipe Moreira
FM
Nunes
Universidade Federal do Piauí, Department of Health Sciences, FlorianoPiauí, Brazil, MSc. Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), Floriano, Piauí, Brazil.
Roberto Wagner Junior Freire de
RW
Freitas
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Department of Statistics, NatalRio Grande do Norte, Brazil, PhD. Professor, Department of Statistics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Paulo Roberto Medeiros de
PR
Azevedo
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Department of Parasitology and Microbiology, NatalRio Grande do Norte, Brazil, PhD. Professor, Department of Parasitology and Microbiology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
José Veríssimo
JV
Fernandes
Universidade Federal do Piauí, Department of Health Sciences, FlorianoPiauí, Brazil, MSc. Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), Floriano, Piauí, Brazil.
Juciane Vaz
JV
Rego
Universidade Federal do Piauí, Department of Health Sciences, FlorianoPiauí, Brazil, MSc. Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI), Floriano, Piauí, Brazil.
Humberto Medeiros
HM
Barreto
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D065006:Papanicolaou Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult