After the Vaccine: Cervical Cancer Screening in Army Women

Purpose: The primary objective of this cross-sectional proposal is explore and predict the determinates of intent and behavior for women serving in the Army to conduct annual cervical cancer screening.  A secondary objective is to explore the determinates of intent and behavior for women (under the age of 27 years old) serving in the Army to initiate and complete HPV vaccination.  The goals of this research endeavor include: 1) to increase military healthcare providers (i.e., family nurse practitioners, community health nurses, physician assistants, and physicians) knowledge regarding Army women’s attitudes and normative beliefs regarding cervical cancer, cervical cancer screening, and HPV vaccination; 2) enable military healthcare providers to address risk reduction for cervical cancer for military members; and 3) build a foundation to develop  and plan interventional programs to foster health promotion, disease prevention, and follow up behaviors prior to deployment in this unique population.  

Sample: This endeavor will be accomplished by conducting a cross-sectional study of active duty female soldiers recruited at large military post on the east coast of the U.S.  

Analysis: Utilizing logistic regression, and undergirded by the Theory of Reasoned Action 

Methods: The strongest determinates of cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination will be explored per the variables of interest; female soldier attitudes regarding cervical cancer and HPV, female soldier social norms for cervical cancer screening, and female soldiers intent for cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination in the future. This study will also compare self- reported cervical exams and HPV vaccination with the participant’s electronic medical record to explore over reporting or misunderstanding of cervical cancer screening exams/HPV vaccination previously reported as limitation in research dependent on participant self-reporting only.       

Implications for Military Nursing: Predicting the most influential factors on behavior could result in resources diverted from activities that are identified as having less of an impact on screening or vaccination for military women.  With the knowledge generated, nurses can develop targeted intervention strategies to bolster healthcare seeking in this population.  Further, delay in health seeking behaviors and those factors which influence delay may also be applied to other health related behaviors.

Final Report is available on NTRL: https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2018100...