ACCULTURATION AND PAP SMEAR SCREENING PRACTICES AMONG COLLEGE-AGED VIETNAMESE WOMEN IN THE UNITED-STATES

The purposes of this study were both to gather information on the prev alence of Pap smear screening among college-aged Vietnamese women and to identify predictive factors that influence Vietnamese women to enga ge in early cervical cancer detection behavior. This study also examin es the role of acculturation in explaining cervical cancer screening b ehavior. Data were collected through mail and telephone surveys. Of th ose respondents (n = 207), approximately one-third (36.8%) reported ha ving had a Pap smear. More than one-third (39.3%) of sexually active r espondents reported never having had a Pap smear. Acculturated women w ere more likely to be sexually active and to be obtaining regular Pap smears. In the logistic regression model, marital status, sexual activ ity, and a belief that only married women should have a Pap smear were important predictors of prior reported Pap smear experience. These st udy findings suggest that less-acculturated women appear to have the b elief that cervical cancer screening is more important for married wom en than for unmarried women, regardless of their sexual activity. The existence of such misconceptions underscores the importance of offerin g culturally relevant cancer education that addresses related misconce ptions.