CervCAScr
cervical cancer, Pap smear, Pap test, cancer screening, women, females
CervCAScr.UT_US
Cervical Cancer Screening (Pap)
The proportion of women 18 years or older who reported having a Pap test in the last three years.
The proportion of women 18 years or older who reported having a Pap test in the last three years.
The total number of female survey respondents aged 18 or older excluding those who responded "don't know" or "refused" to the numerator question.
To reduce bias and more accurately represent population data, the BRFSS has changed survey methodology. In 2010, it began conducting surveys by cellular phone in addition to landline phones. It also adopted "iterative proportional fitting" (raking) as its weighting method. More details about these changes can be found at: [https://ibis.health.utah.gov/pdf/opha/resource/brfss/RakingImpact2011.pdf].
01/02/2024
Cervical cancer is one of the most curable cancers if detected early through routine screening.
Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by infection of high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). The HPV vaccine protects against the HPV types that most often cause cervical cancer. Women who have had an HPV vaccine still need to have routine Pap smears because the vaccine does not fully protect against all the strains of the virus and other risk factors that can cause cervical cancer.
HPV is transmitted through sexual contact. Any woman who is sexually active is at risk for developing cervical cancer. Other risk factors include giving birth to many children, having sexual relations at an early age, having multiple sex partners or partners with many other partners, cigarette smoking, and use of oral contraceptives.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends cervical cancer screening (Pap smear) every 3 years for women 21 to 65 years old. For women 30 to 65 years old, Pap smears may be conducted every 5 years in conjunction with human papillomavirus (HPV) testing.
Cervical cancer screening rates have continually fallen since 2010 at both the state and national level. Between 2012 and 2020, the percentage of Utah women aged 18 or older who reported receiving a Pap test within the last three years decreased from 70.7% to 62.9% (age-adjusted rates), compared to a national rate of 68.8%.
Cervical cancer screening rates in Utah vary by geography, ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, and age.
For combined years 2019 and 2020, Central Utah (54.8%), Southwest (55.0%), and Utah County (56.8%) local health districts reported statistically significantly lower cervical cancer screening rates when compared to the state rate (60.9%). Salt Lake County (63.6%) reported a statistically significantly higher rate. See additional data views for screening rates by Utah Small Areas.
In 2020, women who identified as Hispanic reported receiving a screening for cervical cancer within the past 3 years at a higher rate (65.3%) than women who identified as non-Hispanic (62.4%), although this was not significantly different. Those who identified racially as Pacific Islander reported the lowest rates (44.9%), while those who identified as Asian (69.8%) and American Indian/Native Alaskan (69.1%) reported the highest rates in 2019-2020. However, none of these were statistically significantly different than the overall state rate.
In 2020, and when looking at the highest level of education completed, college graduates (69.7%) and those with some post high school education (68.5%) were more likely to have received a Pap test than those with a high school diploma (63.9%) or those with no high school degree (59.7%). Women in households with annual incomes less than $25,000 (51.6%) were significantly less likely to have had a Pap test in 2020 than women in households with higher incomes (total 67.6%).
Women age 18-34 years old (56.1%) were significantly less likely to have had a Pap test in 2020 than women age 50-64 (69.4%) and women age 35-49 (78.5%). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend screening for cervical cancer in women older than 65 years who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise high risk for cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer screening rates have continually fallen since 2010 at both the state and national level. Screening rates in Utah have also consistently been lower than national rates.
Nationally, the percentage of women aged 18 or older who reported receiving a Pap test in the past three years decreased from 80.7% in 2010 to 68.8% in 2020. In Utah, the percentage of women who received a pap test decreased from 74.3% in 2010 to 62.9% in 2020. The latest state rates from 2020 indicate that only 62.9% have received a cervical cancer screening test within the past 3 years.
The Utah Breast & Cervical Cancer Program (Utah B&C) partners with local health departments, community clinics, hospitals and healthcare professionals to help those with low incomes who do not have adequate insurance gain access to timely breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services. Eligible women can apply to Utah B&C by calling 800-717-1811 or by submitting an online enrollment form available at: [https://cancerutah.org/do-i-qualify/].
In addition, the Utah Immunization Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides low cost HPV vaccines to females ages 9 to 18 who meet income guidelines. Visit [https://immunize.utah.gov/vaccines-for-children-program/] for more information.
The 2000 Utah Legislature approved a resolution encouraging private health insurance companies and employers to include insurance coverage for the screening and detection of cervical cancer. As of July 2001, the Utah Breast and Cervical Cancer Program is able to refer Utah women in need of treatment for cervical cancers for full Medicaid benefits. The women must meet all requirements as outlined in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act.
The Utah Breast & Cervical Cancer Program (Utah B&C) partners with local health departments, community clinics, hospitals and healthcare professionals to help those with low incomes who do not have adequate insurance gain access to timely breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services. Eligible women can apply to Utah B&C by calling 800-717-1811 or by submitting an online enrollment form available at: [https://cancerutah.org/do-i-qualify/].
In addition, the Utah Immunization Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides low cost HPV vaccines to females ages 9 to 18 who meet income guidelines. Visit [https://immunize.utah.gov/vaccines-for-children-program/] for more information.
Utah Breast and Cervical Cancer @ [http://www.cancerutah.org] [[br]]
Utah Immunization Vaccines for Children @ [https://immunize.utah.gov/vaccines-for-children-program/] [[br]]
Utah Cancer Action Network @ [http://www.ucan.cc] [[br]]
National Cancer Institute @ [http://www.cancer.gov] [[br]]
American Cancer Society @ [http://www.cancer.org] [[br]]
Huntsman Cancer Institute @ [http://www.huntsmancancer.org] [[br]]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention @ [http://www.cdc.gov] [[br]]
American Society of Clinical Oncology @ [http://www.asco.org]
CFHS_Cancer
mnagata@utah.gov
A
02/26/2024
The data collected by the 2022 and 2024 BRFSS surveys cannot be used to update this indicator due to significant changes made to the cervical cancer screening questions on these surveys. Consequently, the charts for these indicators cannot be updated. -mmumper@utah.gov
3
x
02/26/2024
Status changed by: kimneerings@utah.gov
02/26/2024
PopChar
Relevant Population Characteristics
Economically disadvantaged persons are significantly less likely to get a Pap test. Women are also more likely to receive screening tests as their level of education increases.
EduLevPop
Utah Population Characteristics: Education Level in the Population
EduLevPop.Ut_US
HHInc
Utah Population Characteristics: Household Income
HHInc.UT_US
Pov
Utah Population Characteristics: Poverty, All Persons
Pov.UT_US
SystemFactors
Health Care System Factors
As part of the Affordable Care Act, women can receive free preventive services such as Pap smears.
CosBarHtlhCar
Cost as a barrier to health care
CosBarHtlhCar.UT_US
HlthIns
No health insurance coverage
HlthIns.UT_US_ACS
PriProvUsuPl
Personal doctor or health care provider
PriProvUsuPl.Age_Sex
RouMedCarVis
Routine medical care visits
RouMedCarVis.AgeSex
RiskFactors
Risk Factors
Any woman who is sexually active is at risk for developing cervical cancer. Other risk factors include having sexual relations at an early age, having multiple sex partners or a partner with many other partners, having a weakened immune system, not getting the HPV vaccine, and cigarette smoking.
AlcConChrDri
Alcohol Consumption - Heavy Drinking
AlcConChrDri.UT_US
ChlamCas
Chlamydia cases
ChlamCas.UT_US
CigSmokAdlt
Smoking Among Adults
CigSmokAdlt.Ut_US
CigSmokAdol
Smoking Among Adolescents
CigSmokAdol.UT_US
GonCas
Gonorrhea Cases
GonCas.UT_US
HealthStatus
Health Status Outcomes
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer with the use of the HPV vaccine. It is also highly treatable when caught early through screening tests.
CanDth
Cancer Deaths
CanDth.UT_US
CervCADth
Cervical Cancer Death
CervCADth.UT_US
CervCAInc
Cervical cancer incidence
CervCAInc.UT_US
ImmHPV
Immunizations - HPV, adolescents
ImmHPV.SexYr
CervCAScr.UT_US
Pap Test Within the Past Three Years,
Utah and U.S.,
1999-2020
Age-adjusted Percentage of Women 18+
CervCAScr.LHD
Pap Test Within the Past Three Years
by Local Health District, Utah,
2019 and 2020
Age-adjusted Percentage of Women Aged 18+
CervCAScr.SA
Pap Test Within the Past Three Years
by Utah Small Area,
2019 and 2020
Age-adjusted Percentage of Women Aged 18+
CervCAScr.Eth
Pap Smear in the Past Three Years
by Ethnicity, Utah,
2020
Age-adjusted Percentage of Women 18+
CervCAScr.Race
Pap Smear in the Past Three Years
by Race, Utah,
2019 and 2020
Age-adjusted Percentage of Women Age 18+
CervCAScr.Edu
Pap Test Within the Past Three Years
by Education, Utah Women Aged 25+,
2020
Age-adjusted Percentage of Women 25+
CervCAScr.Inc
Pap Test Within the Past Three Years
by Income, Utah,
2020
Age-adjusted Percentage of Women 18+
CervCAScr.Age
Pap Test Within the Past Three Years
by Age, Utah,
2020
Percentage of Women Aged 18+