[Attitude of the French female population to cancer screening]

Attitudes of the French female population towards screening of different types of cancer were studied by means of a telephone survey conducted among a random sample of the French population aged 18 to 75 (n = 2,099).

Cancer remains the most highly feared disease among the population. This fear is more apparent among women than men (61.5% average or strong fear vs 52.6%). In addition, women are more frequently prone to disclosing cancer cases among relatives. Over the last three years, respectively 28.4% and 70.5% of the 1,075 women in the sample had undergone a mammography and a Pap smear. Results suggest that there is still a discrepancy between current screening practices and official recommendations for systematic screening policies in France, as well as a trend towards "overutilization" among younger women and insufficient coverage among older women. Women living in French administrative districts where systematic screening campaigns for breast cancer are in place, had a better access to mammography (40.5% vs 26.2% in the rest of the sample). Multidimensional analysis confirms that social isolation is related with a poor access to either type of screening, although systematic screening campaigns have helped to reduce socio-cultural inequities in access to mammography for the target population of women aged 50 to 69. This analysis also suggests that when an individual adopts some preventive behaviors (such as giving up smoking), it may have a reassuring effect which in turn discourages access to screening; therefore the need for a greater coherence in the various sectors of preventive action against cancer is advocated by the authors.