Coverage of Cervical Cancer Screening and Breast Self-Examination amon Women in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, 2005 - ความครอบคลุมของการตรวจมะเร็งปากมดลูกและการตรวจเต้านม ด้วยตนเอง ของสตรีในเขตอำเภอแม่สอด จังหวัดตาก ปี 2548

Abstract

This paper reports the coverage of cervical cancer screening among women aged ≥ 25 years old and breast self-examination (BSE) among women aged ≥ 35 years old in Mae Sot district, Tak province. An interview survey was conducted in the villages/communities selected by systematic sampling between January and February 2005. A total of 2,035 and 1,594 women were interviewed for cervical cancer screening and BSE respectively. The majority of them knew about cervical cancer and the Pap smear test. About 85.8 percent had ever had a Pap smear test and 77.8 percent had received a Pap smear within 5 years preceding the interview. The proportion of women having been screened was lowest in those aged 55 years and older. Ever-married women were more likely to have a Pap smear than single women in all age groups. Of the women aged 35 years and older, 82.2 percent had ever received BSE training and 87.8 percent reported performing BSE. However, only 57.5 percent performed BSE regularly at least once a month. The proportion of women who performed BSE decreased in those aged 55 years and older, having no school education, being farmers, and having no BSE training. Greater efforts should be made to increase knowledge and the use of screening regularly for early detection of cancer among the target women, particularly those who remained unscreened. The Pap smear test may be carried out during the screening programs for other chronic diseases in the older women.