Abstract

BARRAEZ, Yordan José. Coverage of Cervix Cancer  Prevention Program in Communities of Girardot Municipality. Aragua state, Venezuela. Comunidad y Salud [online]. 2006, vol.4, n.2, pp.13-21. ISSN 1690-3293.

Uterine cervix cancer is an important issue in Public Health of  underdeveloped countries in spite of the avvailabity of cytology as an available method for its precocious detection and sifting of precursor lesions. In those countries where morbidity and mortality has declined, this has been achieved through the implementation of a preventive program. In Venezuela, and particularly in Aragua state, the program was reactivated in 1995 and coverage was increased as to achieve 58.7% by 2000. Meanwhile, in Girardot Municipality, the achievement was around 37.7%. This figure acted as motivating factor to performed a study in 10 communities as to assess the factors determining such variations. A cross sectional study was performed, and information was collected in sentinel, through a survey aimed to determine periodicity of cytology, and the Health Centers in which the samples were taken. The survey was applied in 887 houses with a sample of 689 women in ages between 25 and 64 years. Results demostrated that 95.2% have had at least one citology and 90% during the last there years. Assessed coverage was 85.7% of which 48.1% were performed in Public Health Services, mainly in women from the lower socio-economic strata. Cytology coverage in surveyed group is higher that the figures reported by the Health System during the same period.

Keywords : Cytology; Uterine Cervix Cancer; Cervix Cancer Prevention; Uterine Tumors.