Women's perception of barriers and facilitators of cervical cancer Pap smear screening: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Although Pap smear (PS) is considered the best standard in detecting cervical cancer, adherence to timely and regular PS is often lower than global standards in developing countries. Thus, the present study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators of adherence to cervical cancer screening in Mashhad, Iran.

Design

A qualitative content analysis was done from July to December 2022 using semistructured in-depth interviews.

Setting

The study was conducted in health centres in Mashhad, Iran.

Participants

A sample of 36 married women aged 18-70 years was selected using a purposive sampling, with maximum diversity.

Results

The mean age of participants was 42.8±7.6 years. Among all, 66.7% had the PS test at least once; only 8.3% regularly had the te

SUBMITTER: Shariati-Sarcheshme M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10806721 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature