Differences in Cervical Cancer Screening Between African-American Versus African-Born Black Women in the United States.
Although the incidence of cervical cancer has been declining steadily since the Pap smear became standard of care in the U.S., many African immigrants are unfamiliar with this screening test and its potential benefits. Using data from the CDC's National Health Interview Surveys, we identified respondents who were black women living in the United States, distinguishing U.S.-born (n = 620) and African-born (n = 36). We constructed a measure of current Pap status and used multivariate logistic regression models to compare Pap status between the two groups. Controlling for income, age, education, health insurance, and marital status, African American women were over 3 times more likely to have reported a current Pap smear than African-born women [Adjusted OR = 3.37, 95 % CI = (1.89, 5.96)]. Being an African-born woman was the strongest predictor of current Pap status. Distinguishing immigrant status in an analysis of cervical cancer screening rates for black women indicated much lower Pap smear rates for African-born women, compared with African-American women. More research on the impact of education and culturally specific care is needed to address the disparity in Pap smear rates for African-born black women.
People's Clinic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 3441 St. Paul Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55416, USA. ajf631@mail.harvard.edu.|Division of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. ajf631@mail.harvard.edu.
Alison
A
Forney-Gorman
Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Katy B
KB
Kozhimannil
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control
African; African-American; Cervical cancer; Disparities; Immigrant; Pap smear