Objectives: This article examines the associations between women's characteristics and getting or not getting a Pap test.
Data source: The data are from the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) conducted by Statistics Canada.
Analytical techniques: Multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the odds of women not complying with Pap test guidelines, that is, of never having had a Pap test, and among women who had had one, of not having done so in the last three years.
Main results: One in four women aged 18 to 69 had either never had a Pap test or had not had one in the three years before the NPHS. Notably, older women--who are at the greatest risk for cervical cancer--are less compliant with screening guidelines than younger women. Other characteristics of women with high odds of never having had a Pap test are: being single, being a resident of Quebec, having immigrated to Canada, having less than a secondary school education, not being in the highest income group and having had no sex partners in the previous year.