Awareness and attitudes towards the revised National Cervical Screening Program amongst women in rural New South Wales: a cross-sectional study

Background: Research exploring awareness and attitudes towards the revised National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) amongst rural Australian women is limited. Given the increased incidence and mortality from cervical cancer in rural Australian women, this gap needs attention. This study examined awareness and attitudes of women in rural New South Wales (NSW) towards the revised NCSP. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with women aged 18-74 years currently residing in the Western NSW Primary Health Network region. The anonymous survey was distributed online via social media and email to eligible women. Results: In total, 309 rural women participated. The majority were 30-39 years old (35.9%) and had completed tertiary education (73.1%), figures which are higher than average for this rural region. Of these, 51.8% (160/309) were aware there had been a change to the NCSP. This information most commonly came from their healthcare provider (57.5%; 82/160). Three-quarters reported being happy or neutral with the change (76.1%; 235/309). Those who were aware of the revised NCSP were more likely to have a positive attitude toward it (P = 0.02). Fewer participants reported that they were never/unlikely to participate in screening under the revised NCSP (4.8%, 9/309) as compared to the previous program (15.5%, 48/309) after being provided with information about the revised NCSP. Women who reported an abnormal result under the previous NCSP were more likely to be concerned about the revised NCSP (P = 0.037), in particular the starting age of 25 years (P = 0.007) and the 5-yearly screening interval (P = 0.008). Conclusion: Awareness and knowledge levels play an important role in attitudes towards the revised NCSP in rural women. Strategies to increase participation rates should therefore target these areas. Healthcare professionals can take a central role in this information sharing process.