How often do women in a refugee camp get cervical screening when most have heard of the test?

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Cervical cancer is mainly linked to infection with a high-risk, cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV), and 85% of cervical cancer deaths occur in developing countries. The abstract notes that refugees are less likely to know about screening methods and to have routine gynecological examinations.

This cross-sectional study involved 359 women aged 19–64 living in Jerash camp in Jordan. Data were collected using a carefully developed and validated questionnaire. The 359 participants had a mean age of 38.99 ± 10.53 years.

Participants showed a fair level of knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors, scoring 4.77 ± 2.85 out of 11. Although 73.5% had heard of the cervical smear test, only 12.8% had actually undergone it. The reported mean total number of smear tests performed was 1.48 ± 0.79, and the mean age at the first test was 32.5 ± 7.89 years.

The authors concluded that refugee women had a fair level of knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors but were unmotivated to have a Pap smear test for cervical cancer screening. They called for efforts to raise awareness and promote testing among underrepresented women in refugee camps.