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TOPLINE
Women who resided in rural areas in the US were less likely than their urban counterparts to report cervical cancer screening within the past 5 years but had higher odds of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing at their most recent screening visit.
METHODOLOGY
- Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from a national health survey that included 1463 women from rural areas (mean age, 44.5 years) and 9227 women from urban areas (mean age, 42.7 years).
- The study aimed to examine rural-urban differences in cervical cancer screening patterns, including how recently women were screened and their use of HPV and Papanicolaou (Pap) testing.
- Rural residence was defined as living in a nonmetropolitan county, and urban residence was defined as living in a metropolitan county.
- Main outcomes were six cervical cancer screening items: ever screened, time since last screening, abnormal results on the test in the last 5 years, and at the most recent screening, awareness of the test type received, Pap testing, and HPV testing.
TAKEAWAY
- Women residing in rural areas had lower odds of reporting cervical cancer screening within the past 5 years than those residing in urban areas (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.79; 95% CI, 0.67-0.92).
- Women residing in rural areas were more likely to report HPV testing at the most recent screening (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.16-1.70) than those residing in urban areas.
IN PRACTICE
"Efforts to improve cervical cancer screening should focus on HPV testing in urban populations as well as on identifying facilitators of success in rural areas," the researchers wrote.
SOURCE
The study was led by Anika Eldien, of the Rural Cancer Institute in Staples, Minnesota. It was published online on August 18, 2026, in The Journal of Rural Health.
LIMITATIONS
The study relied on data from a survey, which might be subject to recall bias. The study also excluded individuals who did not identify as women, and those who had a hysterectomy before age 21 may have been misclassified as those who never had a cervical cancer screening.
DISCLOSURES
The study received no funding or other compensation, and the authors declared having no conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
