Published In

Journal of Health Communication

Document Type

Post-Print

Publication Date

7-18-2018

Subjects

Health education -- methods, Papillomaviruses, Health promotion -- Hispanic American women, Cervix uteri -- Cancer -- Diagnosis, Narratives -- Health promotion

Abstract

This study explored how structural and cultural forces work together with psychological and communication factors in influencing Pap test compliance among Latinas in Los Angeles County, a group who face health disparities related to cervical cancer screening, incidence and mortality. By adopting a multilevel approach to obtain a grounded understanding of this issue, this work revealed that structural barriers, fatalism, religious service attendance, perceived susceptibility, perceived costs, and cues to action from health care providers are all associated with Pap test compliance. Financial barriers also influence compliance, with underinsurance having a stronger negative impact compared to no insurance at all. These findings provide insights into how communication efforts can be strategically designed to address both individual- and system-level barriers to promote health-seeking behaviors among Latinas, and potentially among other population groups experiencing health disparities due to similar reasons.

Rights

Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Description

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Health Communication. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Health Communication, 23(7), 661-669.

DOI

10.1080/10810730.2018.1500661

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/27053

Share

COinS