Correlates of women's cancer screening and contraceptive knowledge among female emergency department patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lack of knowledge regarding preventive health services for women might impede campaigns to expand these services in the emergency department setting. For 18–55-year-old English-speaking women visiting an urban emergency department, we aimed to: (1) Ascertain their knowledge regarding the applicability, purpose, and recommended intervals of three women's cancer screening and three contraceptive methods; and (2) Determine if patient age, race/ethnicity, medical insurance status, and current or recent usage of these methods are associated with greater or lesser knowledge about them.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Emergency department-based survey on recent or current usage and knowledge about Pap smears, breast self-examinations, mammograms, condoms, birth control, and emergency contraception. Analyses included calculation of summary statistics and creation of multivariable logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 1,100 patients eligible for the study, 69.9% agreed to participate. Most of the participants were < age 35, white, single (never married and no partner), Catholic, and had private medical insurance. Participant's recent or current usage of a particular cancer screening or contraceptive method varied by type of method: Pap smear within the past year (69.1%), breast self-exam within the past month (45.5%), mammogram within the past year (65.7% for women age 45–55), condom usage during every episode of sexual intercourse (15.4%), current usage of birth control pills (17.8%), and ever use of emergency contraception (9.3%). The participants correctly answered 87.9% of all survey questions about condoms, 82.5% about birth control pills, 78.5% about breast self-exams, 52.9% about Pap smears, 35.4% about mammograms, and 25.0% about emergency contraception. In multivariable logistic regression models, survey participants who had private medical insurance and those who recently or currently used a given screening or contraceptive method had a greater odds of correctly answering all questions about each cancer screening or contraceptive method.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although these female ED patients demonstrated strong knowledge on some women's cancer screening and contraceptive methods, there were several areas of knowledge deficit. Women without private medical insurance and those who have not used a particular cancer screening or contraceptive method demonstrated less knowledge. Reduced knowledge about women's cancer screening and contraceptive methods should be considered during clinical encounters and when instituting or evaluating emergency department-based initiatives that assess the need for these methods.</p

Avaliação da continuidade de uso do preservativo feminino em usuárias do Sistema Único de Saúde em unidades da região metropolitana de São Paulo, Brasil Evaluation of continuity of use of female condoms among users of the Brazilian National Health System (SUS): longitudinal analysis in units in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil

O perfil da epidemia da Aids vem exigindo alternativas que, além de prevenir a entrada do HIV, facilitem a negociação de uso com o parceiro e possibilitem dupla proteção - contra as infecções transmitidas sexualmente, inclusive a Aids, e contra a gravidez não desejada - como o preservativo feminino. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar se a alta aceitabilidade inicial do preservativo feminino, descrita em outros estudos, é mantida na rotina de atendimento às diferentes populações vulneráveis. Foram monitorados durante 12 meses 16 serviços do Sistema Único de Saúde da Grande São Paulo (7 serviços especializados em atendimento às doenças sexualmente transmissíveis, 6 unidades básicas de saúde e 3 projetos comunitários). Foram incluídas no estudo 2.469 mulheres, das quais 713 em serviços de atenção especializada às DST/Aids, 1.417 em unidades básicas e 339 em projetos comunitários. A análise da continuidade de uso foi realizada por tábua de sobrevida Kaplan-Meier, teste log-rank e modelo de regressão de Cox, com intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC=95%). Observou-se que, ao final do seguimento, estavam em uso contínuo do preservativo feminino 14,4% das mulheres (355). O tempo médio de uso foi de 3,55 meses (IC 95%: 3,37- 3,73). Os resultados evidenciaram que o tipo de serviço de dispensação do insumo e a frequência mensal de relações sexuais interferiram na continuidade de uso de forma estatisticamente significante. O número de mulheres que iniciaram o uso do preservativo feminino nos diferentes tipos de serviços mostrou que há uma demanda para alternativas de prevenção, e que é fundamental a criação de espaços onde elas possam ter acesso adequado a orientações e aos insumos.<br>The new profile of the AIDS epidemic necessarily includes the implementation of alternatives which go beyond HIV prevention, meaning sexual partner negotiation and double protection: against STD (including AIDS) and unplanned pregnancy - the female condom (FC) as a possible alternative. The objective of this study was to assess continuity of the high initial acceptability of FC described in different studies. Vulnerable groups were monitored for 12 months: 16 public services of the São Paulo metropolitan area (7 specialized in STD/AIDS; 6 primary care units and 3 community projects). 2,469 women were enrolled, 713 from STD/AIDS services, 1,417 from primary care units and 339 from community projects. Kaplan-Meier, log-rank and the Cox regression model were used to analyze survival curves, CI=95%. At the end of follow-up, 355 (14.4%) women were using female condom continuously. The mean period of use of all participants was 3.55 months (CI 95%: 3.37- 3.73). Results showed type of service providing the device and frequency of sexual intercourse as factors statistically significant related to continuity of use. The high number of women accepting the use of female condom in different services showed an important demand for the device, the need to provide appropriate access to orientation and of making female condom continuously available