Perceptions of Pap Screening in a Context of HPV Vaccination

A development in the prevention of cervical cancer in women in Australia was the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which was made available to young women as part of a national school-based vaccination program in 2007. Despite this advancement, Pap screening is still required to provide optimal protection from cervical cancer. The current study aimed to explore what young women know about HPV, HPV vaccination, and Pap screening guidelines. It further aimed to identify barriers and facilitators young women perceive to participating in screening, as well as factors influencing these perceptions.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 women who had been in school during the Australian HPV vaccination program and offered HPV vaccine, aged 18-25, until saturation around key themes was reached. Transcripts were analysed, letting themes emerge from the data.
Key barriers and facilitators to pap screening were identified, as well as factors affecting the salience of these barriers and facilitators.
Findings have implications for the development of interventions to increase screening adherence and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in this population.