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Attitudes toward cervical cancer screening among women receiving human papillomavirus vaccination in a university‐hospital‐based community: Interim 2‐year follow‐up results
Author(s) -
Miyagi Etsuko,
Sukegawa Akiko,
Motoki Yoko,
Kaneko Tetsuji,
Maruyama Yasuyo,
AsaiSato Mikiko,
Numazaki Reiko,
Mizushima Shunsaku,
Hirahara Fumiki
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/jog.12288
Subject(s) - medicine , vaccination , cervical cancer , interim , guideline , family medicine , test (biology) , demographics , human papillomavirus , gynecology , cancer , demography , immunology , paleontology , archaeology , pathology , sociology , biology , history
Aim This study investigated the status of cervical cancer screening among women in a university hospital‐based community who received catch‐up human papillomavirus ( HPV ) vaccinations as a basic element of our community‐based cervical cancer prevention advocacy. Methods Self‐administered questionnaires were distributed to 173 women working or studying in the community at their first HPV vaccination in 2010, at the third vaccination, and 2 years later. Their demographics and attitudes toward the P ap test were analyzed. Results The median age of the participants was 27.5 years and 88.2% were sexually active. Before the first vaccination, 38.5% (57/148) of the screening targets had never had a P ap test. Among the women who completed the third vaccination, P ap test experiences within the recent 2 years increased from 45.3% (63/139) at the first vaccination to 71.2% (99/137) at the third vaccination, and 67.5% (54/80) 2 years later. In 45.3% of the screening targets who had never had a P ap test at the time of their first HPV vaccination, their first P ap test was followed by their vaccination. Conclusions Having biennial P ap tests in accordance with the J apanese national cancer screening guideline was shown to be difficult even for the women in the medical community; however, education about the P ap test and the efficacy of HPV vaccination in providing opportunistic screening encouraged them to have their first or suspended P ap test. Our interim data suggest the need for urgently changing the cervical cancer prevention strategy for young adult women who are excluded from the national HPV vaccine program.