Perception, attitude and practices of women towards pelvic examination and Pap smear in Jamaica

• Published in: North American journal of medical sciences 2010-10, Vol.2 (10), p.478-486
• Main Authors: Bourne, Paul A, Charles, Christopher A D, Francis, Cynthia G, South-Bourne, Neva, Peters, Racquel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 1947-2714; 2250-1541; 1947-2714
• DOI: 10.4297/najms.2010.2478

Studies have shown that women's ability to access contraceptive methods depend on their socio-economic, educational, professional status, and the health and well-being of their families and themselves. Therefore, the embarking of the Governments of the Caribbean on important initiatives relating to gynecological matters is very important and timely. This study aims to examine the perception, attitude and practice of Jamaican women towards the matter of pelvic examination. The current study used an extracted sample of 7,168 women in their reproductive years (15-49 yrs) from a study which was undertaken by the National Family Planning Board in 2002 on Reproductive Health. Data was analyzed using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0 (SPSS Inc.; Chicago, Ill. USA). Logistic regression was used to analyze factors/variables pertaining to Pelvic examination. The findings revealed that older women are more likely to have done a Pelvic examination compared to younger women (χ(2) = 675.29, P < 0.001). Age, number of pregnancies that resulted in miscarriages, number of pregnancies that resulted in induced abortion, age of first sexual intercourse, number of years of schooling, area of residence and socio-economic class are statistically significant factors of Pelvic examinations in Jamaica. Therefore, the model had significant predictive power where (χ(2) = 1022.79, P < 0.001). The multidimensional nature of the variables, which emerged in the current study, indicate that a multisectoral approach should be used to address low pelvic and Pap smear examination among Jamaican women.