Knowledge, attitudes and practices of women regarding pap smears - abstract

The aims of the study were to assess women's knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding cervical cancer and screening, to see how knowledge influences attitudes and how both influence practice, and to examine certain social and demographic correlates. Between January 29, 1996 and February 29, 1996, 209 female patients, aged 19 years and over, were interviewed in the Casualty Department of the University Hospital of the West Indies. A questionnaire measuring knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding Pap smears and cervical cancer and selected characteristics of the patients and their partners were administered by a single interviewer. Quota sampling methodology was employed. Most of the respondents (98 percent) had heard about Pap smears, but the majority did not know that its main purpose is to help in the prevention of cervical cancer, as opposed to its detection. Only a majority of patients knew what the cervix is and that it is the part of the body that Pap smears are concerned with. The majority of respondents had positive attitudes with respect to cervical screening. However, having positive attitudes and possessing knowledge about Pap smears did not significantly influence compliance with screening, and apathy accounted for a significant portion of non-compliance. If a nationwide screening programme is to be successful, patient motivation and behaviour modification will need to be addressed. (AU)

Association of pregnancy-induced hypertension with sexual activity in primigravidae: a preliminary report

Prolonged exposure to semen prior to conception has been associated with a decreased risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension. In this study, 257 primigravidae were interviewed about total duration of sexual activity and sexual cohabitation with the father of the index pregnancy and number of sexual partners prior to conception. Each patient was placed in one of three groups: normotensive, transient hypertension and pre-eclampsia. Median duration of cohabitation was significantly less in patients with transient hypertension (9 months) than in normotensive patients (19 months) and those with pre-eclampsia (33 months), whereas total duration of sexual activity was similar in all three groups. Also, significantly more patients with transient hypertension had only one partner (51.5 percent), when compared with those in the normotensive (29.7 percent) and pre-eclamptic (26.7 percent) groups. Further analysis revealed that having one partner prior to conception significantly increases the risk of developing transient hypertension (relative risk 2.19), but not of developing pre-eclampsia. The results suggest that minimal exposure to semen, and having only one partner prior to conception in primigravidae may be risk factors for the development of transient hypertension but not for pre-eclampsia. In addition, the differences in the results for transient hypertension versus pre-eclampsia suggest different pathophysiological mechanisms for the two disorders. (AU)