Schoolchildren's knowledge of cervical cancer and smears

A survey of 264 schoolchildren aged 15 and 16 in four Aberdeen schools revealed that 17% had never heard of cervical cancer or smears; proportionately more of the 244 were boys and were 15 years old. Of the other respondents, when asked to locate the cervix on an anatomical drawing, nearly three-quarters placed the cervix accurately or within the cervical canal. The same proportion knew that a cervical smear involved an internal examination. Not surprisingly, more girls than boys gave correct answers. The survey was carried out to assess the need for health education before the introduction of call-up for cervical cytology at the age of 20. It is recommended that further surveys of knowledge in older teenagers would be useful before effective health education programmes can be devised to ensure a high uptake of the new screening programme.