Preferred Location for Human Papillomavirus Self-Sampling for Cervical Cancer Screening

Abstract

Objective: To examine associations among women's preferred locations for human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling in relation to their demographic, social, and health characteristics and their perceived benefits and concerns regarding this procedure.

Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive survey.

Setting: Online distribution between March 2022 and April 2022.

Participants: People who were assigned female sex at birth and were eligible for cervical cancer screening (N = 367: cis-gender women, n = 364; another gender identity, n = 3).

Methods: We used quota sampling to obtain a racially and ethnically diverse sample. We conducted bivariate analyses to examine differences in participants' preferred locations for HPV self-sampling by sociodemographic and health characteristics. We used a multinomial logistic regression model to examine the associations between preferred HPV self-sampling location, characteristics of participants, and perceived benefits and concerns regarding this procedure.

Results: In our sample, 43% (n = 158) of participants preferred HPV self-sampling at the office of a health care provider, 50% (n = 182) preferred HPV self-sampling anywhere (office or home), and 7% (n = 27) did not feel comfortable with HPV self-sampling anywhere. Participants 39 to 45 years of age were more likely to prefer HPV self-sampling anywhere (office or home) than participants 27 to 32 years of age, OR = 2.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.21, 5.06]. Participants who preferred HPV self-sampling anywhere perceived greater benefit related to limited geographic access to a clinic compared to those who preferred office only, OR = 1.82, 95% CI [1.08, 3.07]. Participants who preferred HPV self-sampling anywhere had less concern related to performing the procedure accurately than those who preferred office only, OR = 0.44, 95% CI [0.31, 0.62].

Conclusion: HPV self-sampling is an alternative strategy to increase cervical cancer screening. As providers consider implementation of HPV self-sampling, our findings suggest that office and home-based collection strategies should be considered to increase access to cervical cancer screening.

Keywords: HPV self-sampling; cancer prevention; cervical cancer screening; human papillomavirus (HPV) testing.