Breast self-examination and cervical cancer testing among Norwegian female physicians: A nation-wide comparative study

Elin Olaug Rosvold, Anette Hjartåker, Espen Bjertness and Eiliv Lund

Social Science & Medicine, 2001, vol. 52, issue 2, 249-258

Abstract: Practice of breast self-examination (BSE) and cervical cancer testing (Pap smear tests) was studied in a nation-wide Norwegian representative sample of 284 female physicians aged 24-67. BSE was performed at least once a month in 30.6% of the cases, and 54.6% had a Pap smear test once every third year at least. BSE was never practised among 19.2% of the physicians, the main reasons being that they forgot it, or that they stated that they were in a low risk group or had no symptoms of disease. 16.2% had never had routine Pap smears, and these physicians claimed that they were in a low risk group or had no symptoms of disease, that they had a problem in finding a physician to attend, or that they forgot to take the test. A subgroup of 135 physicians aged 35-49 years was compared with 738 women with higher university education included from a nation-wide representative sample of the general population of Norway. A significantly higher percentage of physicians practised BSE monthly or more often compared with other university educated women. However, a significantly lower percentage of the physicians had Pap smear tests every third year or more frequently. The positive association between being a physician and practising BSE, and the negative association between being a physician and having Pap smear tests, remained after controlling for potential confounders in multivariate analyses.

Keywords: Female; physicians; Breast; self-examination; Pap; smear; testing; Health; behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001
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