QuickStats: Percentage of U.S. Women Aged 21–65 Years Who Never Had a Papanicolaou Test (Pap Test),* by Place of Birth and Length of Residence in the United States† — National Health Interview Survey, 2013 and 2015§

Weekly / March 31, 2017 / 66(12);346

The figure above is a bar chart showing that in 2013 and 2015 combined, 6.8% of U.S. women aged 21â€“65 years had never received a Pap test in their lifetime. Foreign-born women were more than twice as likely as U.S. born women to have never received a Pap test (13.4% versus 5.2%). Foreign-born women who lived in the United States for <25% of their lifetime were almost twice as likely as those who resided in the United States for â‰¥25% of their lifetime (21.5% versus 10.9%) to have never received a Pap test.

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* The Papanicolaou test (commonly referred to as Pap test or Pap smear) is a screening method used to detect potentially precancerous and cancerous processes in the cervix. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for cervical cancer in women aged 21–65 years with cytology (Pap smear) every 3 years.

† Country of birth, number of years residing in the United States, and current age were used to determine nativity and percentage of time in the United States.

§ Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population and are derived from the National Health Interview Survey. Estimates are presented with 95% confidence intervals indicated by error bars.

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In 2013 and 2015 combined, 6.8% of U.S. women aged 21–65 years had never received a Pap test in their lifetime. Foreign-born women were more than twice as likely as U.S. born women to have never received a Pap test (13.4% versus 5.2%). Foreign-born women who lived in the United States for <25% of their lifetime were almost twice as likely as those who resided in the United States for ≥25% of their lifetime (21.5% versus 10.9%) to have never received a Pap test.

Source: National Health Interview Survey, 2013 and 2015 combined. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.

Reported by: Tainya C. Clarke, PhD, tclarke@cdc.gov, 301-458-4155; Meheret Endeshaw; Virginia Senkomago; Mona Saraiya.

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Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of U.S. Women Aged 21–65 Years Who Never Had a Papanicolaou Test (Pap Test), by Place of Birth and Length of Residence in the United States — National Health Interview Survey, 2013 and 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;66:346. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6612a9 .