Obese women are significantly less likely to be tested for cervical cancer than
women of average body weight, a new study has found.
Breast and colon cancer screening are unaffected by a woman's body mass,
researchers found.
The study analyzed the responses of 38,000 Canadian women aged 20 to 69 in a
national survey conducted in 2007. The questions in the survey asked women about
their body mass index, whether they had a regular physician and if they received
breast, colon and cervical cancer screening tests on a regular basis. If they
didn't they were asked why.
The study found that increasing obesity was associated with decreasing odds of
Pap smear testing.
"Obese women are 30 to 40 per cent less likely — depending on the degree of
obesity — to have recommended cervical cancer screening performed, " said Raj
Padwal, a study author and a researcher at the University of Alberta's Faculty
of Medicine, in a release.
The authors point out that with growing numbers of obese patients in Canada, and
the higher prevalence of cancers and cancer-related mortality in this group, a
failure to screen women adequately for cancer is of significant concern.
They believe the reasons could be numerous.
"A wide range of health system, patient, and provider factors likely influence
the relationship between excess body weight and the receipt of preventive cancer
screening," reads the study. "Obese patients may suffer from restricted mobility
or may be less willing to undergo testing."
The study found that the severely obese were twice as likely than average-weight
participants to cite fear of the procedure, due to pain, embarrassment or
anxiety about the result.
Other possible factors that may hinder screening include an unwillingness on the
part of health-care providers to perform the test due to increased difficulty in
conducting an exam or negative stereotypes of these individuals.
Current recommendations call for annual pap smears in sexually active women 18
and over, dropping to every three years until age 69 after two normal smears.
"Lower utilization of this recommended screening practice may contribute to
poorer health outcomes noted in overweight/obese women," warns the study. "The
identification of both patient and provider barriers to cancer screening should
be emphasized, and efforts made to remove these barriers among this high-risk
population."
Source : American Journal of
Preventative Medicine.
