Proximity of Health Care Center and Cervical Cancer Screening Uptake in Thailand

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide, and in Thailandis the second most common cancer among women. In 2008, a national cervical cancer screening programmewas implemented in Thailand, but coverage remains relatively low.
Objectives: The purpose of the study wasto investigate whether cervical cancer screening uptake is associated with the area of residency in Thailand.Materials and
Methods: A case-control study was carried out in women aged 30 to 60 year-old, who live inSikhiu district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. Structured-questionnaires were used to interview 226women (cases) who had attended cervical cancer screening in the last five years and 226 women (controls) whohad not. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the association between the area of residency andcervical cancer screening uptake.
Results: After controlling for parity, marital status and duration of hormonalcontraceptive use, an association between the area of residence and cervical cancer screening uptake could notdemonstrated (ORadj 1.27, 95%CI: 0.79, 2.04).
Conclusions: We found no evidence to suggest remoteness tohealth care center led to lower cervical cancer screening uptake.