The association of health literacy with cervical cancer prevention knowledge and health behaviors in a multiethnic cohort of women.

Objective: Our purpose was to describe the relationship between health literacy, ethnicity, and cervical cancer screening practices and to evaluate physician recognition of low literacy.

Study Design: We studied a prospective cohort of English-speaking patients > or =18 years (n = 529) in ambulatory women's clinics. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate demographics, health practices and beliefs, and knowledge regarding cervical cancer screening and prevention.