Study Links Frequency of Pap Smears to Woman’s Level of Education, Race

The more educated a woman, the more likely it is that she has had a recent Pap smear, a test for cervical cancer, according to results of the Orange County Health Surveys released Wednesday.

The survey found while 92% of the women have had Pap smears, women who are Asian, black and American Indian have the test less often.

The findings closely mirror previously released survey results about mammograms for early detection of breast cancer. Those found that older women, Asian women and less-educated women in Orange County were least likely to have mammograms.

Nearly 95% of non-Latino white women reported having Pap smears, compared to 92% of Latino women, 87.5% of Asian women and 82% of black and American Indian women. For all categories, prevalence of Pap smears jumped with the level of education--from 69% among those with education of eighth grade or less, to 96% among those who completed college.

Whether the women had insurance appeared to have little impact on the figures.

“We virtually can prevent all cancer of the cervix,” said Dr. Hoda Anton-Culver, UCI professor of epidemiology and one of the principal researchers. “And we are still finding pockets in the population where there is a need for intervention.”

National Cancer Institute guidelines suggest that every woman over 18 or who is sexually active have a Pap smear annually, unless a physician recommends otherwise, Anton-Culver said.