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Obese Women in Canada Are Less Likely to Be Screened for Cervical Cancer EDMONTON, Alberta -- June 18, 2008 -- Research in the United States has shown that obese people are less likely than their normal-weight peers to undergo screening for breast, colon, and cervical cancer. Raj Padwal, MD, FRCP, University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Alberta, Canada, and colleagues, undertook a study to see if this trend was also true in Canada. "As obesity is associated with higher rates of some types of cancer, it's important to determine if the presence of obesity influences the use of screening tests," said Dr. Padwal. In 2007 almost 38,000 women participated in a national survey. The women, aged 20 to 69 years, were asked questions including: what was their Body Mass Index (BMI); did they have a regular doctor; did they get breast, colon, and cervical cancer screening tests regularly; if so, how often; and if not, what are the reasons? For breast and colon cancer screening the data showed no difference between overweight/obese women and normal-weight women. But for cervical cancer screening the results were different. While 82% of women said they had a pap smear in the past 3 years, testing decreased as BMI levels increased. "Obese women are 30% to 40% less likely -- depending on the degree of obesity -- to have recommended cervical cancer screening performed." Dr. Padwal says the results also showed obese women are 2 times more likely than normal-weight women to state that fear -- including fear of pain, of embarrassment, or of finding something wrong -- was the reason they did not have a pap smear. Dr. Padwal believes this is an issue that needs to be addressed through increased awareness and vigilance on the part of patients and healthcare providers. He says more studies are needed to determine if other barriers exist and, if so, what are the best methods of removing those barriers. SOURCE: University of Alberta E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version