Encouraging the right women to attend for cervical cancer screening: results from a targeted television campaign in Victoria, Australia.

Full Abstract

The study assessed whether a mass media campaign could encourage women who were overdue for a Papanicolaou (Pap) test to have one, without prompting unnecessary early re-screening. A telephone survey of a representative sample of 1000 Victorian women aged 25-65 years assessed recall of the advertisement and intention to act after seeing it. The television advertisement was recalled by 61.5% of women. Significantly more who said 'I mean to have a test every two years, but I usually leave it longer' indicated they would have a Pap test more often as a result of seeing the advertisement (63%), than women who had Pap tests every 1 (6%) or 2 (12%) years. Negative binomial regression analysis on data from the Victorian Cervical Cytology Registry from the middle of 2002 to the end of 2004 showed that during the campaign the number of Pap tests conducted increased by 18% (coeff = 0.169, df < 0.029). The rate increased most among those due or overdue for a Pap test. In a population with a high level of awareness of cervical screening, it is possible to run a mass media campaign to encourage screening which is specific to women whose test is due or overdue.

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Author information

Author/s: Mullins, Robyn (R); Wakefield, Melanie (M); Broun, Kate (K);

Affiliation: Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Victoria, Australia. robyn.mullins(-atsign-)cancervic.org.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Health education research (Health Educ Res), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 23 (issue 3) : pp 477-86

Dates: Created 2008/05/27; Completed 2008/07/22;

PMID: 17615181, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Australia
Female
Health Education - methods
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Middle Aged
Television
Time Factors
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - diagnosis
Vaginal Smears

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