Medical Care
Volume 44, Issue 11, 2006, Pages 998-1004

Is there a language divide in Pap test use? (Article)

Ponce N.A.* , Chawla N. , Babey S.H. , Gatchell M.S. , Etzioni D.A. , Spencer B.A. , Brown E.R. , Breen N.
  • a UCLA, Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles, CA, United States, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States, Division of Cancer Control and Prevention Research, UCLA School of Public Health, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, UCLA, Department of Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, United States
  • b Division of Cancer Control and Prevention Research, UCLA School of Public Health, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • c UCLA, Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • d UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • e Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • f Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
  • g UCLA, Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles, CA, United States, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • h Health Services and Economics Branch, Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, United States

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether primary language use, measured by language of interview, is associated with disparities in cervical cancer screening. DATA SOURCES: We undertook a secondary data analysis of a pooled sample of the 2001 and 2003 California Health Interview Surveys. The surveys were conducted in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese. STUDY DESIGN: The study was a cross-sectional analysis of 3-year Pap test use among women ages 18 to 64, with no reported cervical cancer diagnosis or hysterectomy (n = 38,931). In addition to language of interview, other factors studied included race/ethnicity, marital status, income, educational attainment, years lived in the United States, insurance status, usual source of care, smoking status, area of residence, and self-rated health status. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We fit weighted multivariate logit models predicting 3-year Pap test use as a function of language of interview, adjusting for the effects of specified covariates. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Compared with the referent English interview group, women who interviewed in Spanish were 1.65 times more likely to receive a Pap test in the past 3 years. In contrast, we observed a significantly reduced risk of screening among women who interviewed in Vietnamese (odds ratio [OR] 0.67; confidence interval [CI] 0.48-0.93), Cantonese (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.30-0.66), Mandarin (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.33-0.72), and Korean (OR 0.62; 0.40-0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Improved language access could reduce cancer screening disparities, especially in the Asian immigrant community. © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

Author Keywords

Language disparities Pap test

Index Keywords

Vaginal Smears regression analysis mass screening Continental Population Groups human middle aged Ethnic Groups ethnic group Confidence Intervals comparative study health status Time Factors Health Surveys language ethnology Cross-Sectional Studies interview Confidence interval United States cross-sectional study Humans Adolescent female Socioeconomic Factors Multivariate Analysis socioeconomics race Article adult migration Uterine Cervical Neoplasms Utilization Review uterine cervix tumor Interviews Emigration and Immigration vagina smear time health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-33750540191&doi=10.1097%2f01.mlr.0000233676.61237.ef&partnerID=40&md5=fdc925bb223b9275698a8f379c8d0340
DOI: 10.1097/01.mlr.0000233676.61237.ef
ISSN: 00257079
Cited by: 49
Original Language: English