Cultural and emotional determinants of cervical cancer screening among older Hispanic women.
Tamara J Cadet, Shanna L Burke, Kathleen Stewart and 2 others
PMID 28825525WHAT IT FOUND
Older Hispanic women with future-oriented thinking were 1.4 times more likely to get cervical cancer screenings.
Lack of health insurance made screening 66% less likely. Anxiety, fear, and marital status did not predict screening participation.
Key findings
01For each one point increase towards future time orientation, Hispanic women are 1.4 times more likely to participate in cervical cancer screening services.
02Hispanic women without health insurance were 66% (OR=.34) less likely to participate in cervical cancer screening services.
03Anxiety, positive affect, negative affect, uncertainty-avoidance optimism, and uncertainty avoidance-pessimism were not significant predictors of screening participation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that time orientation or insurance caused the screening behavior. Participants self-reported their screening status, and women often over-report Pap smears by confusing them with other pelvic exams. The emotional scales used were not validated specifically for Hispanic populations or in Spanish, which may have skewed the results. The sample was limited to those with Medicare due to missing data, excluding women with private insurance or Medicaid, which may not represent all older Hispanic women. The study combined diverse Hispanic groups (primarily Mexican) without distinguishing between them, despite known cultural differences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing anxiety or fear will increase screening rates in this population. The study found that anxiety and negative affect were not significant predictors of screening, whereas insurance status and time orientation were.