Abstract B06: Rural women's decision making about cervical cancer prevention in South Carolina.

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Despite advances in screening and prevention, cervical cancer disparities have been detected in minority, rural, and underserved women. This study explored women's knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer prevention in South Carolina, which ranks fourteenth in the United States in cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted in two rural and urban counties as part of a community-based participatory (CBPR) project. Instrument development and participant recruitment were conducted in partnership with a community advisory board. Snowball sampling was employed to recruit twenty-eight adult women (18-70 years of age). An Institutional Review Board approved the study and informed consent was obtained. Results: Cervical cancer prevention knowledge varied, with urban women reporting greater exposure to public health campaigns. Most participants had more positive views about screening than HPV vaccination, but were less knowledgeable about current screening guidelines. Lack of health insurance, transportation, and costs were main barriers to screening. Provider recommendations for HPV vaccination also emerged as a barrier. Lack of provider recommendations and ineffective patient-provider communication were viewed as greater barriers to HPV vaccination than cost due to expanded access vaccination programs. Conclusions: Rural women view cervical cancer screening as an important health service; however, their health decisions are informed by cancer prevention knowledge, access to care, cost concerns. Providers are a trusted source of health information and present an opportunity to convey culturally-appropriate evidence-based messages about cervical cancer prevention and control. Citation Format: Jessica D. Bellinger, Whitney Millegan, Azza Abdalla, Kim Creek. Rural women's decision making about cervical cancer prevention in South Carolina. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B06.