Bathurst Rural Clinical School, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia.
Aust J Prim Health. 2023 Oct;29(5):471-479. doi: 10.1071/PY22267.
Research exploring awareness and attitudes towards the revised National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) amongst rural Australian women is limited. Given the increased incidence and mortality from cervical cancer in rural Australian women, this gap needs attention. This study examined awareness and attitudes of women in rural New South Wales (NSW) towards the revised NCSP.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with women aged 18-74years currently residing in the Western NSW Primary Health Network region. The anonymous survey was distributed online via social media and email to eligible women.
In total, 309 rural women participated. The majority were 30-39years old (35.9%) and had completed tertiary education (73.1%), figures which are higher than average for this rural region. Of these, 51.8% (160/309) were aware there had been a change to the NCSP. This information most commonly came from their healthcare provider (57.5%; 82/160). Three-quarters reported being happy or neutral with the change (76.1%; 235/309). Those who were aware of the revised NCSP were more likely to have a positive attitude toward it (P =0.02). Fewer participants reported that they were never/unlikely to participate in screening under the revised NCSP (4.8%, 9/309) as compared to the previous program (15.5%, 48/309) after being provided with information about the revised NCSP. Women who reported an abnormal result under the previous NCSP were more likely to be concerned about the revised NCSP (P =0.037), in particular the starting age of 25years (P =0.007) and the 5-yearly screening interval (P =0.008).
Awareness and knowledge levels play an important role in attitudes towards the revised NCSP in rural women. Strategies to increase participation rates should therefore target these areas. Healthcare professionals can take a central role in this information sharing process.
针对农村地区澳大利亚女性对修订后的国家宫颈癌筛查计划（NCSP）的认知和态度的研究较为有限。鉴于农村地区澳大利亚女性宫颈癌的发病率和死亡率上升，这一差距需要引起关注。本研究调查了新南威尔士州（NSW）农村地区女性对修订后的 NCSP 的认知和态度。
采用横断面调查方法，对目前居住在新南威尔士州西部初级卫生网络地区的 18-74 岁女性进行研究。这项匿名调查通过社交媒体和电子邮件分发给符合条件的女性。
共有 309 名农村女性参与了此次调查。大多数女性年龄在 30-39 岁（35.9%），完成了高等教育（73.1%），这一数字高于该农村地区的平均水平。其中，51.8%（160/309）的女性知道 NCSP 发生了变化。这些信息最常来自她们的医疗保健提供者（57.5%；82/160）。四分之三的人对这一变化表示满意或中立（76.1%；235/309）。那些知道修订后的 NCSP 的人更有可能对其持积极态度（P =0.02）。与之前的项目相比（4.8%，48/309），在提供有关修订后的 NCSP 的信息后，报告称自己永远不会/不太可能参加筛查的参与者较少（4.8%，9/309）。在之前的 NCSP 下报告异常结果的女性更有可能担心修订后的 NCSP（P =0.037），特别是 25 岁的起始年龄（P =0.007）和 5 年筛查间隔（P =0.008）。
农村女性对修订后的 NCSP 的认知和知识水平对其态度起着重要作用。因此，提高参与率的策略应针对这些方面。医疗保健专业人员可以在这一信息共享过程中发挥核心作用。
