Abnormal cervical cancer screening results among US Veteran and non-Veteran participants in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

• Published in: Preventive medicine reports 2023-12, Vol.36, p.102472-102472, Article 102472
• Main Authors: Danan, Elisheva R., Than, Claire, Chawla, Neetu, Hoggatt, Katherine J., Yano, Elizabeth M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cancer screening; Female; Self report; Short Communication; Uterine cervical dysplasia; Veterans
• ISSN: 2211-3355; 2211-3355
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102472

Female Veterans report cervical cancer risk factors at higher rates than non-Veterans. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we tested whether Veterans with a recent cervical cancer screening test were more likely than non-Veterans to have received an abnormal result. NHIS is a population-based cross-sectional household survey with a stratified, multistage sampling design. We pooled screening data from 2010, 2015, and 2018, and restricted the sample to female participants without a hysterectomy who had a cervical cancer screening test in the prior 3 years. The primary outcome was self-reported abnormal result on a Pap and/or HPV test in the prior 3 years. Our main predictor was Veteran status. We used survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds of an abnormal screening result in the prior 3 years as a function of Veteran status, controlling first for age and survey year, then adding sociodemographic and health factors in subsequent models. The sample included 380 Veterans and 25,102 non-Veterans (weighted total population 104.9 million). Overall, 19.0% of Veterans and 13.7% of non-Veterans reported an abnormal cervical cancer screening test result in the prior 3 years (unadjusted p = 0.03). In the adjusted regression model, the previously observed association between Veteran status and abnormal screening result was explained by differences in sociodemographic and health factors between Veterans and non-Veterans (aOR 1.21, 95%CI 0.78–1.87). Nearly 1 in 5 Veterans with a recent cervical cancer screening test received an abnormal result. Clinicians should address modifiable risk factors and provide evidence-based follow-up for abnormal results.