The study aims to find out why some post-reproductive aged women did not participate in the organized cervical cancer screening program in Latvia and clarify factors that would motivate them to take part.
A cross-sectional study was carried out among female patients in three GP practices. GP practice nurses used the Latvian national health service database to identify women aged 25–70 who had not participated in the organized program for the last three years. Participants were asked to complete a specially developed questionnaire. The results were then compared between three age groups.
The study included 523 out of 992 women who had not attended screening; 41% were in the age group 50–70 years. 32.1% of women in this age group indicated that it would facilitate their participation in the program if their GP could carry out the cervical screen.
The study concluded that post-reproductive aged women in Latvia often do not attend cervical cancer screening. Analysis of personal and organizational barriers confirmed that the involvement of GPs would encourage older women to participate in the organized screening program.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2020.1824269
