Cervical screening among immigrant Vietnamese women seen in general practice: current rates, predictors and potential recruitment strategies

Objective: To ascertain cervical screening rates among Vietnamese women attending Vietnamese-speaking general practitioners (GPs) in Sydney, their recall of opportunistic recruitment by these GPs and their preferences for strategies to encourage screening. Method:Women born in Vietnam aged 1869 years were recruited through the waiting room of their GP and completed questionnaires in either Vietnamese or Chinese before and after their consultation. Results: Of 355 women seen during the survey period, 170 were ineligible. Of those eligible, 118 women (64% response rate) completed waiting room questionnaires. Of 86 women 'at risk', 56 (65%) reported having a cervical smear within two years or due on that day; 26 (86%) of those 30 women overdue for screening reported visiting a GP at least twice in the past six months. After adjustment for age and education, women who were more acculturated or had resided in Australia for the most years remained significantly more likely to be screened (p = 0.027 and p = 0.037 respectively). In the follow-up questionnaire, returned by 49 women (52%) who agreed to receive it, recall of opportunistic advice from the GP was low. Female GPs, free screening and more information in Vietnamese were the three most popular recruitment strategies. Conclusion: Study confirms low participation rates in cervical screening by Vietnamese women using self-report. Recent immigrants and the least acculturated are least likely to be screened. Implications: A community-based strategy involving Vietnamese-speaking GPs shows promise, inviting behavioural evaluation.