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United States Value:
Percentage of women ages 21-44 who reported receiving a Pap smear within the past three years
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Percentage of women ages 21-44 who reported receiving a Pap smear within the past three years
Percentage of women ages 21-44 who reported receiving a Pap smear within the past three years
Percentage of women ages 21-44 who reported receiving a Pap smear within the past three years
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Percentage of women ages 21-44 who reported receiving a Pap smear within the past three years
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
US Value: 77.1%
Top State(s): Mississippi: 85.2%
Bottom State(s): Alaska: 67.9%
Definition: Percentage of women ages 21-44 who reported receiving a Pap smear within the past three years
Data Source and Years: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2020
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
Cervical cancer is preventable and treatable due to the availability of screening tests and vaccines. Increased screening in the form of routine Pap tests have contributed to significant declines in cervical cancer mortality over the past 40 years. However, in 2012 nearly 8 million women ages 21-65 reported that they had not been screened in the last five years and screening rates have declined further during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4,152 women died of cervical cancer in 2019 in the United States and 12,795 new cases were diagnosed. The main cause of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of common viruses transmitted during sexual contact. It is estimated that nearly all sexually active people will get HPV at some point during their lifetimes, but recommended HPV vaccinations effectively protect against and reduce rates of cancer-causing strains.
The prevalence of cervical cancer screening is higher among:
The CDC recommends regular screening via Pap and/or HPV tests, as well as early HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer. Current strategies to improve cervical cancer screening rates among women include:
Healthy People 2030 aims to increase the proportion of women ages 21-65 who receive cervical cancer screening.
Dorsainvil, Merlyn A. “Increasing Cervical Cancer Screening in Underserved Populations.” Journal of Christian Nursing 34, no. 3 (July 2017): 152–58. https://doi.org/10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000405.
Miller, Maureen J., Lanfang Xu, Jin Qin, Erin E. Hahn, Quyen Ngo-Metzger, Brian Mittman, Devansu Tewari, et al. “Impact of COVID-19 on Cervical Cancer Screening Rates Among Women Aged 21–65 Years in a Large Integrated Health Care System — Southern California, January 1–September 30, 2019, and January 1–September 30, 2020.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 70, no. 4 (January 29, 2021): 109–13. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7004a1.
Tracy, J. Kathleen, Alison D. Lydecker, and Lynda Ireland. “Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening Among Lesbians.” Journal of Women’s Health 19, no. 2 (February 2010): 229–37. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2009.1393.
White, Arica, Trevor D. Thompson, Mary C. White, Susan A. Sabatino, Janet de Moor, Paul V. Doria-Rose, Ann M. Geiger, and Lisa C. Richardson. “Cancer Screening Test Use — United States, 2015.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 66, no. 8 (March 3, 2017): 201–6. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6608a1.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
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