Non-performance of Pap smears among pregnant women in the Extreme South of Brazil: prevalence and associated factors.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cause of cancer among women worldwide, and Pap smears are the best screening strategy for its detection. This study evaluated the prevalence and the associated factors of the non-performance of Pap smears among pregnant women above the age of 25 during prenatal care in the municipality of Rio Grande, Brazil, in 2013. The multivariate analysis was performed by Poisson regression evaluated by prevalence ratio (PR). Of the 1,474 pregnant women included in the study, 21.6% (95% CI, 19.5%-23.7%) had not been screened. The adjusted analysis evidenced a PR for the non-performance among puerperae with 0-4 years schooling of 2.14 (95% CI, 1.35-3.38) compared to those with 12 years or more. Reporting previous abortion and alcohol use during pregnancy showed a PR of 1.38 (1.10-1.73) and 1.39 (1.04-1.84) of not doing so compared to the other, respectively. Finally, performing 1-5 prenatal visits evidenced a PR of 1.35 (1.03-1.77) compared to the others. A high proportion of pregnant women non-performing Pap smears and non-compliance with the basic recommendation by the Brazilian Ministry of Health has been found. Health professionals should reinforce the need for this test and active search for pregnant women in the community with the profile described herein.