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Assessing Disparities in Cervical Cancer Screening with Pap Test by Disability Types

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Abstract

Prior research has found that women with disabilities have often experienced disparities in receipt of cervical cancer screening. However, there is a research gap regarding receipt of cervical cancer screening by types of disability. This study examined the differences in receiving cervical cancer screening through self-reported Pap testing among women by disability type. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2016, 2018, and 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor and Surveillance System (BRFSS). The relative risk of cervical cancer screening through self-reported Pap tests received within the past three years among women aged 21–65 by disability type was compared using modified Poisson regression with robust error variance. A total of 307,142 women from across the USA were sampled. In every disability group, older women were significantly less likely to receive Pap tests than their counterparts without disabilities. Women with multiple disabilities (aRR=0.91; 95% CI, 0.89–0.94) and those with ambulatory disabilities (aRR=0.93; 95% CI, 0.91–0.97) reported being less likely to receive Pap tests than women with no disability. Ambulatory disability and multiple disabilities are associated with a lower likelihood of cervical cancer screening with Pap test, increasing the need to eliminate disability-specific disparities in Pap testing. Future efforts should focus on improving cancer education programs tailored to the needs of women with disabilities, addressing barriers related to mobility and access to healthcare services, and ensuring equitable access to preventive screenings.

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Data Availability

Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is publicly available for download from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Abbreviations

RR:

Risk ratio

aRR:

Adjusted risk ratio

BRFSS:

Behavioral Risk Factor and Surveillance System

USPSTF:

US Preventive Services Task Force

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Peterson Hall, Fairfax, VA, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Amarachukwu F. Orji & Amira Albert Roess

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  1. Amarachukwu F. Orji
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  2. Amira Albert Roess
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. AFO: conceptualization, methodology, software, data curation, formal analysis, visualization, writing—manuscript preparation, writing—original draft preparation, and reviewing and editing. AAR: supervision and writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Amarachukwu F. Orji.

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Orji, A.F., Roess, A.A. Assessing Disparities in Cervical Cancer Screening with Pap Test by Disability Types. J Canc Educ 39, 39–49 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-023-02373-x

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