Tiwari A, Kishore J, Tiwari A
Department of Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, India.
Indian J Cancer. 2011 Oct-Dec;48(4):477-82. doi: 10.4103/0019-509X.92261.
Cervical cancer is one of the major causes of deaths due to cancer among women in India. Pap smear is one of the best methods to detect early changes in cervix. However, there is lack of data on awareness level of women about Pap smear and various risk factors for cervical cancer.
To study the awareness about various risk factors for cervical cancer, health-seeking behavior and hygienic practices among women and to assess the distress experienced by these women before the Pap smear examination.
This cross-sectional study was carried out on women coming for a Pap smear examination in a tertiary teaching hospital in New Delhi. A pretested interview schedule was used to get information after obtaining their informed consent.
Fifty-seven percent stated that they did not consult a doctor when they noticed the symptoms the first time. Sixty-one percent did not know what a cervical cancer is and a same percentage of women did not know what a Pap smear examination was. Older age group, Muslim and literate women had higher number of abnormal Pap smear results. Women who reported being stressed in their lives had higher number of abnormal smears as compared to women who claimed to lead a stress free life. Poor hygienic practices among these women from urban areas were also associated with abnormal Pap smear results.
The study concluded that factors such as poor awareness, shyness, poor hygiene, and old age could be responsible for abnormal Pap smears and this needs special attention in cancer prevention activities of the government.
宫颈癌是印度女性癌症死亡的主要原因之一。巴氏涂片检查是检测宫颈早期变化的最佳方法之一。然而，关于女性对巴氏涂片检查及宫颈癌各种危险因素的知晓水平的数据却很缺乏。
研究女性对宫颈癌各种危险因素的知晓情况、就医行为和卫生习惯，并评估这些女性在巴氏涂片检查前的痛苦程度。
这项横断面研究是在新德里一家三级教学医院对前来进行巴氏涂片检查的女性开展的。在获得她们的知情同意后，使用预先测试过的访谈提纲来获取信息。
57%的女性表示首次出现症状时未咨询医生。61%的女性不知道什么是宫颈癌，同样比例的女性不知道什么是巴氏涂片检查。年龄较大的群体、穆斯林女性和识字女性的巴氏涂片检查结果异常的人数较多。与声称生活无压力的女性相比，报告生活中有压力的女性涂片异常的人数更多。这些来自城市地区的女性卫生习惯差也与巴氏涂片检查结果异常有关。
该研究得出结论，意识淡薄、害羞、卫生习惯差和年龄较大等因素可能是巴氏涂片检查结果异常的原因，这在政府的癌症预防活动中需要特别关注。
