Response to the Written Invitation in a Gynecological Mass Screening by Cytology Arranged in Helsinki in 1966
Authors: Kauppinen M. A. , Kauraniemi T. , Koli T. , Voipio N. 
Published: December 2009

The present study was made to find out about reasons for non‐participation in mass screening. The material of the study consisted of the women invited to mass screening in Helsinki in 1966. These women were of ages 40 and 50 and their total number was 6,569, of whom 1,566 did not accept the invitation. An inter‐ view and questionnares sent by mail brought in a total of 986 replies from women who had participated in the screening and 753 replies from women who had not.

The results showed that were relatively seen more single women among the non‐participants, as well as those who according to classification by the occupation of the women themselves belonged to the first socio‐ economic group. Those who stayed away from the screening would discuss and read about cancerous dis‐ eases less often and would be of the opinion that there is too much talk about these questions nowadays. The alleged reason for non‐participation' was in 35 % of the cases that the women had seen a gynecologist for an examination in the course of the past year; 10 yo did not come because they felt quite well, and 14 % did not have the opportunity to arrange for a suitable time to have a smear taken. Of those who did partic‐ ipate in the screening, 72 yo said that they had gone because it was »good to go just to be sure», and 10 % went because it was simple to go to be examined.

By adjustments of age, employment, and marital status, the effects of these could be studied. It was noted that age did not play an important role in the material of the present study. Housewives would some‐ wha more often than women employed outside home stay away, in particular those who had had no child‐ births or four or more childbirths.

The study aimed at identifying a possible risk group which in addition to the fact that it had not partic‐ ipated in mass screening would neither in the course of the past year have been examined by a gynecologist nor had a smear taken. Such women totaled 420 in the group of non‐participants, which equals 56 %. It was found that more than a half, or 56 %, were single women, whereas their percentage in the total of non‐ participants was 22. Widowed and divorced women also appeared on an average more often in the risk group: 19 yo vs. 16 yo in the total of non‐participants. The percentages of housewives and married women em‐ ployed outside home did not in a significant manner differ from each other within the risk group, but it was noted that the risk group also included hous‐ wives who either had no children or had 4 or more children. Even women who were alone in charge of a family, i.e. widowed and divorced women, would more often than usually stay away if they had 4 or more children. It was common to the risk group that the women belonging to it would read about and dis‐ cuss cancerous diseases less often and also be of the opinion that there was too much talk about these subjects.

The results were also compared with those of earlier studies and it was found that there is reason to direct an intensified educational activity particularly to the risk groups mentioned above.