Reported pap test use by Hispanic women in Connecticut and Long Island

Some 308 Hispanic adult women 20 to 74 years of age living in Connecticut and Long Island (New York) were interviewed by telephone in February-May 1992. Respondents interviewed in Spanish (46% of the 308) had lower rates of awareness and use of Pap tests than women interviewed in English, and level of education was inversely associated with use of Pap tests. In a multivariate analysis, statistically significant predictors of reporting a recent Pap test (ie, in 1991-92) were whether or not the respondent had a health-care visit during the past year, educational level, and language of interview. The proportion of women who had ever heard of a Pap test was lower in Connecticut than in Long Island women, even after adjusting for differences in sociodemographic characteristics; among those who had ever heard of Pap tests, use was similar for the two areas. Overcoming barriers to health-care access, along with bilingual educational efforts by physicians and public health workers, are needed to increase Pap test use by Hispanic women and reduce their relatively high incidence rates for invasive cervical cancer.