Educational Inequalities in Cervical Cancer Screening in Europe

Anna Altová , Charles University, Faculty of Science
Ivana Kulhánová, Faculty of Science, Charles University
Michala Lustigová, Charles University, Faculty of Science; National Institute of Public Health, Prague
Pavlína Netrdová, Faculty of Science, Charles University

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Europe. Multiple studies show the positive effect of cancer screening on lowering cancer mortality. This, among other cancer sites, shows to be true for cervical cancer which was estimated to be responsible for almost 26,000 deaths in 2020. The presented paper uses data from European Health Interview Survey 2014 (EHIS) to analyze inequalities in cancer screening attendance in 30 European countries. Firstly, standardized attendance rates are calculated by education and country. Secondly, binary logistic regression is used on individual-level data from EHIS to compare chances of non-attending cervical cancer screening by educational attainment. Finally, a multilevel approach is applied to quantify the effect of individual and country level. The results show that there are large differences in attendance within Europe (ranging from 30% in Romania to almost 90% in Czechia), as well as differences in educational inequalities in attendance. Those inequalities should be of high interest to the research community, especially to demographers, epidemiologists, and public health specialists, as they may, in the long term, have an impact on inequalities in cervical cancer mortality.

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 Presented in Session 52. Education and Health