Disparities in the use of regular pap smears among migrant and non-migrant women in Austria: A population-based survey of 7633 women

Objective:Regular pap smears are effective in reducing cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Migrant women have been reported to utilize cervical cancer screening less often than non-migrant women. However, inconsistent results, e.g. from Germany, have also been reported. This study examines disparities in the use of annual pap smears among 20-69 year old migrant and non-migrant women in neighboring Austria. Method:Data from a nationwide population-based survey of 7633 women is used of whom 504 (6.6%) were migrants from European Union countries and 251 (3.3%) were migrants from non-European Union countries. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to account for socio economic and health differences between the three population groups. Results:The study shows that as compared to the non-migrant women, migrant women from European Union and non-European Union countries were at lower odds of having received a pap smear in the last 12 months (adjusted odds ratio = 0.80, 95% confidence interval = 0.66-0.96 and adjusted odds ratio = 0.74, 95%-confidence interval = 0.57-0.97, respectively). Disparities were similar with respect to utilization in the last 36 months (adjusted odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval = 0.46-0.77 and adjusted odds ratio = 0.58, 95% confidence interval = 0.40-0.82, respectively). Conclusions:The findings are in agreement with research from the majority of other countries. They suggest barriers that migrants encounter in the health system and highlight the need for diversity-sensitive health care strategies.