RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Women’s acceptability of and experience with primary human papillomavirus testing for cervix screening: HPV FOCAL trial cross-sectional online survey results
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e052084
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052084
VO 11
IS 10
A1 Laurie W Smith
A1 C Sarai Racey
A1 Lovedeep Gondara
A1 Mel Krajden
A1 Marette Lee
A1 Ruth Elwood Martin
A1 Gavin Stuart
A1 Stuart Peacock
A1 Andrew J Coldman
A1 Eduardo L Franco
A1 Dirk van Niekerk
A1 Gina S Ogilvie
YR 2021
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/10/e052084.abstract
AB Objective To study participant’s acceptability of and attitudes towards human papillomavirus (HPV) testing compared with cytology for cervical cancer screening and what impact having an HPV positive result may have in future acceptability of screening.Design Cross-sectional online survey of clinical trial participants.Setting Primary care, population-based Cervix Screening Program, British Columbia, Canada.Participants A total of 5532 participants from the HPV FOCAL trial, in which women received HPV and cytology testing at study exit, were included in the analysis. Median age was 54 years. The median time of survey completion was 3 years after trial exit.Outcome measures Acceptability of HPV testing for primary cervical cancer screening (primary); attitudes and patient perceptions towards HPV testing and receipt of HPV positive screen results (secondary).Results Most respondents (63%) were accepting of HPV testing, with the majority (69%) accepting screening to begin at age 30 years with HPV testing. Only half of participants (54%) were accepting of an extended screening interval of 4–5 years. In multivariable logistic regression, women who received an HPV positive screen test result during the trial (OR=1.41 95% CI 1.11 to 1.80) or were older (OR=1.01, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.02) were more likely to report HPV testing as acceptable.Conclusions In this evaluation of acceptability and attitudes regarding HPV testing for cervix screening, most are accepting of HPV testing for screening; however, findings indicate heterogeneity in concerns and experiences surrounding HPV testing and receipt of HPV positive results. These findings provide insights for the development of education, information and communication strategies during implementation of HPV-based cervical cancer screening.Trial registration numbers ISRCTN79347302 and NCT00461760.Data are available on reasonable request. Deidentified participant data is available upon consideration and reasonable request.