142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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302687
Acculturation and healthcare access are associated with screening self-efficacy among Korean American women

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Margaret Longacre, PhD , Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
Carolyn Y. Fang, PhD , Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
Yin Tan, MD, MPH , Department of Public Health, Temple University, Center for Asian Health, Philadelphia, PA
Joanne Rhee, MSW , Department of Public Health, Temple University, Center for Asian Health, Philadelphia, PA
Chul Kim , Asian Community Health Coalition, Philadelphia, PA
Grace X. Ma, PhD , Department of Public Health, Temple University, Center for Asian Health, Philadelphia, PA
Background: Korean American (KA) women have a higher incidence of cervical cancer and lower Papanicolaou (Pap) test rates than non-Hispanic white women.  Because self-efficacy (i.e. perceived ability to receive a Pap test) is generally associated with screening uptake, the present study sought to identify factors associated with screening self-efficacy among KA women.

Methods:  KA (n=721) women completed measures of screening self-efficacy, demographics, health care access, and acculturation.  Associations between screening self-efficacy and participant factors were evaluated using chi-square and logistic regression analyses.

Results:  Participants were on average 53.81 years of age (SD=11.06, range: 21-87) and lived in the U.S. for an average of 17.97 years (SD=10.93, range: 1-88). Approximately 53% (n= 659) of the women were planning to have a Pap test within the upcoming year. A significantly larger proportion of women with higher screening self-efficacy indicated an intention toward screening compared to those with lower self-efficacy. Age, education, household income, regular use of a physician, language spoken at home, and English (speaking) proficiency were significantly associated with a perceived ability to get a Pap test. In adjusted analyses, women with less than high school education, without a regular physician, and those who spoke only their native Asian language at home had lower screening self-efficacy (p=.021; p=.003; p=.054, respectively).

Conclusion:  Findings note the importance of acculturation and access to a physician in contributing to a greater perceived ability to receive a Pap test. Strategies for addressing identified needs among KA women will be discussed.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify factors associated with Korean American women’s perceived self-efficacy for obtaining cervical cancer screening. Describe proposed strategies for enhancing cervical cancer screening self-efficacy among Korean American women.

Keyword(s): Cancer and Women’s Health, Asian Americans

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a public health scientist for 30 years with strong background in community-based participatory research intervention development, management and evaluation. My scientific interests has been the development of strategies for cancer early detection, chronic disease prevention and smoking cessation for underserved Asian American communities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.