M. Lesjak et al., Cervical screening among immigrant Vietnamese women seen in general practice: current rates, predictors and potential recruitment strategies, AUS NZ J PU, 23(2), 1999, pp. 168-173
Citations number
38
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science
Journal title
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Objective: To ascertain cervical screening rates among Vietnamese women att
ending Vietnamese-speaking general practitioners (GPs) in Sydney, their rec
all of opportunistic recruitment by these GPs and their preferences for str
ategies to encourage screening.
Method:Women born in Vietnam aged 1869 years were recruited through the wai
ting room of their GP and completed questionnaires in either Vietnamese or
Chinese before and after their consultation.
Results: Of 355 women seen during the survey period, 170 were ineligible. O
f those eligible, 118 women (64% response rate) completed waiting room ques
tionnaires. Of 86 women 'at risk', 56 (65%) reported having a cervical smea
r within two years or due on that day; 26 (86%) of those 30 women overdue f
or screening reported visiting a GP at least twice in the past six months.
After adjustment for age and education, women who were more acculturated or
had resided in Australia for the most years remained significantly more li
kely to be screened (p = 0.027 and p = 0.037 respectively). In the follow-u
p questionnaire, returned by 49 women (52%) who agreed to receive it, recal
l of opportunistic advice from the GP was low. Female GPs, free screening a
nd more information in Vietnamese were the three most popular recruitment s
trategies.
Conclusion: Study confirms low participation rates in cervical screening by
Vietnamese women using self-report. Recent immigrants and the least accult
urated are least likely to be screened.
Implications: A community-based strategy involving Vietnamese-speaking GPs
shows promise, inviting behavioural evaluation.