Actual versus perceived risk of cervical cancer among college women smokers.

Unlabelled: Cervical cancer is a well-established smoking-related illness, but many at-risk women are unaware of this link.

Objective: The authors designed this study to (1) investigate the relationship of smoking behavior with the history of abnormal Pap test results, sexual history, and perceived risk of cervical cancer and (2) determine whether self-classified smoking status (and hence perceived risk) corresponds with actual smoking behavior in a college student population. PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD SUMMARY: College women students (N = 135) completed a survey assessing smoking history, health history, sexual risk behavior, and risk awareness.