Psychometrics of a Cervical Cancer Screening Tool

Carcinoma of the cervix was the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States before the introduction of the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear in the 1940s. It is now the second leading cause of cancer mortality of women worldwide. It is the fourth ranking among cancer deaths nationally for women ages 15 through 34 years. The purpose of this study is two fold 1) to establish the reliability and validity of a cervical cancer screening tool in Active Duty Army women; and 2) to use the Health Belief Model to predict gynecological screening behaviors and intentions. The gynecological screening behaviors and intentions of Active Duty Army women will be compared with the results from published research on the gynecological screening behaviors of other American women. The research instrument includes (1) a demographic data sheet and (2) a questionnaire form. Structural equation modeling with LISREL VIII will be used evaluate whether the Health Belief Model as measured by the cervical cancer screening tool predicts gynecological screening behavior and intentions. Descriptive statistics will be utilized to characterize the cervical cancer screening practices of active duty Army women. The practices of active duty Army women will be compared to the American Cancer Society recommendations. Pearson correlation will be used to describe the relationship between age and cervical cancer screening behavior. An independent t-test will be used to evaluate differences in cervical screening behavior of women 19-39 years old and women > 39 years old. ANOVA with Tukey post hoc testing will be used to determine differences in cervical cancer screening behaviors among women of different ethnic groups. The ability to identify the cervical screening health practices in this population of women would assist in the development of an educational program to promote cervical screening prevention and thus an early detection program. This program will be part of readiness to insure the deployability of active duty female soldiers.