Factors associated with Pap test screening among South Korean women aged 20 to 39 years

Abstract

The number of hospital visits with cervical cancer as the chief complaint among South Korean women aged 20 to 39 has increased by 1.2 times between 2016 and 2020, indicating a need for active screening for the disease. This study aimed to investigate the status of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test and identify factors influencing Pap test experience among South Korean women aged 20 to 39 years. An online questionnaire survey was conducted over 5 days starting from November 19, 2021. A total of 338 participants who were randomly sampled by age completed the survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t test, χ 2 test, and logistic regression. The mean age of the participants was 29.9 years, and participants with and without Pap test experience accounted for 60.7% and 39.3% of the total, respectively. There were significant differences in age, marital status, employment status, smoking status, experience of coitus, awareness of the National Cancer Screening Program, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination status according to the Pap test experience (P < .05) of the participants. Pap test attitude, Pap test self-efficacy, cervical cancer knowledge, HPV knowledge, and cancer prevention behavior scores were significantly higher in the Pap test experience group than in the no Pap test experience group (P < .05). Logistic regression analysis showed that experience of coitus (odds ratio [OR] = 10.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.54–24.11), marital status (OR = 5.96, 95% CI: 2.25–15.77), awareness of the National Cancer Screening Program (OR = 4.39, 95% CI: 1.66–11.58), HPV vaccination (OR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.35–5.09), employment status (OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.08–4.59), and self-efficacy (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01–1.19) were the influencing factors in the Pap test experience group. To improve the Pap test screening rate among South Korean women aged 20 to 39, reinforcement strategies and intervention programs that involve age-specific approaches must be established.