PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Objective: Regular pap smears are effective in reducing cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Migrant women have been reported to utilize cervical cancer screening less often than non-migrant women. However, inconsistent results, e.g. from Germany, have also been reported. This study examines disparities in the use of annual pap smears among 20-69year old migrant and non-migrant women in neighboring Austria.
Method: Data from a nationwide population-based survey of 7633 women is used of whom 504 (6.6%) were migrants from European Union countries and 251 (3.3%) were migrants from non-European Union countries. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to account for socio economic and health differences between the three population groups.
Results: The study shows that as compared to the non-migrant women, migrant women from European Union and non-European Union countries were at lower odds of having received a pap smear in the last 12months (adjusted odds ratio =0.80, 95% confidence interval=0.66-0.96 and adjusted odds ratio=0.74, 95%-confidence interval=0.57-0.97, respectively). Disparities were similar with respect to utilization in the last 36months (adjusted odds ratio=0.60, 95% confidence interval=0.46-0.77 and adjusted odds ratio=0.58, 95% confidence interval=0.40-0.82, respectively).
Conclusions: The findings are in agreement with research from the majority of other countries. They suggest barriers that migrants encounter in the health system and highlight the need for diversity-sensitive health care strategies.