A Community-Academic Partnership to Increase Pap Testing in Appalachian Kentucky

IntroductionAppalachian Kentucky is recognized for elevated rates of cervical cancer, which exerts an undue burden in this medically underserved region. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an academic-community partnership, specifically a regional health department and a CDC Prevention Research Center, in conducting outreach aimed at improving Pap testing rates and examining barriers among under-screened women in Appalachian Kentucky. Differences between women with abnormal and negative results were also examined.MethodsThe Prevention Research Center provided technical assistance to the district health department that, in turn, hosted “Women's Health Day” events at county health departments, providing incentives to women who had never had a Pap test or those who had not received one in at least 3 years to receive guideline-recommended screening.ResultsFrom 2011 to 2014, 317 women were screened for cervical cancer; data were analyzed in 2014. The mean age was 42.1 (SD=13.6) years. More than half (54.5%) of the sample reported high school as their highest level of education, and 57.7% had an annual household income of <$25,000. The most commonly reported barriers to Pap testing were cost (28.4%) and lack of a perceived need for screening (25.6%). Approximately one in five (21.7%) women received abnormal Pap results.ConclusionsAs a result of this community-academic public health partnership and its shared resources, Appalachian Kentucky women received needed cervical cancer screening and appropriate follow-up for abnormal results, thereby increasing this population's compliance with guideline-recommended screening.