Approximately 90 million people in the United States lack basic literacy skills, which affect health behaviors. Cervical cancer is preventable and treatable, yet few older Hispanic women seek screening and continue to be a high-risk group for cervical cancer. A literature review was conducted to address the relationship between cervical cancer screening, health literacy, and older Hispanic women. Eighty studies were reviewed, and nine addressed health literacy and Hispanic women. One study addressed the association between functional health literacy and Pap smear screening among older Hispanic women. Few studies have explored the association between preventive cervical cancer screening and health literacy among older Hispanic women. Nurses must assess health literacy and be prepared to provide care, which is culturally, and linguistically appropriate to improve health outcomes. Further research is needed to be inclusive of all populations including older Hispanic women.
Abraido-LanzaA. F.ChaoM. T.GatesC. Y. (2005). Acculturation and cancer screening among Latinas: Results from the National Health Interview Survey. The Society of Behavioral Medicine, 29(1), 22-28.
2.
AguirreC. A.EbrahimN.SheaJ. A. (2005). Performance of the English and Spanish S-TOFHLA among publicly insured Medicaid and Medicare patients. Patient Education and Counseling, 56, 332-339.
3.
American Cancer Society. (ACS, 2012). Cancer facts & figures for Hispanics/Latinos 2012-2014. Atlanta, GA: Author.
4.
ArredondoE. M.PollakK.CostanzoP. R. (2008). Evaluating a stage model. In predicting monolingual Spanish-speaking Latina’s cervical cancer screening practices: The role of the psychosocial and cultural practicesHealth Education & Behavior, 35, 791-805.
5.
BakerD. W.GazmararianJ. A.WilliamsM. V.ScottT.ParkerR. M.GreenD.PeelJ. (2002). Functional health literacy and the risk of hospital admission among Medicare managed care enrollees. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 1278-1283.
6.
BakerD. W.GazmararianJ. A.WilliamsM. V.ScottT.ParkerR. M.GreenD.PeelJ. (2004). Health literacy and use of outpatient physician services by Medicare managed care enrollees. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 19, 215-220.
7.
BakerD. W.WolfS. M.FeinglassJ.ThompsonJ. A.GazmararianJ. A.HuangJ. (2007). Health literacy and mortality among elderly persons. Archives of Internal Medicine, 167, 1503-1509.
8.
Barnholtz-SloanJ.PatelN.RollisonD.KortepeterK.MacKinnonJ.GuilianoA. (2009). Incidence trends of invasive cervical cancer in the United States by combined race and ethnicity. Cancer Causes and Control, 20, 1129-1138.
9.
BennettI. M.ChenJ.SorouiJ. S.WhiteS. (2009). The contribution of health literacy to disparities in self-related health status and preventive health behaviors in older adults. Annals of Family Medicine, 7, 204-211.
10.
BennettI. M.CulhaneJ. F.EloI. T. (2007). Literacy and depressive symptomatology among pregnant Latinas with limited English proficiency. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77, 243-248.
11.
BerkmanN. D.DeWaltD. A.PignoneM. P.SheridanS. L.LohrK. N.LuxL.BonitoA. J. (2004). Literacy and health outcomes. (Evidence report/technology assessment no. 87, Publication No 04-E007-1). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved from http://archive.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/literacy/literacy.pdf
12.
BernsteinR.DeJosephD.BuchananE. M. (2010). When to stop screening: A review of breast, gynecologic, and colorectal cancer screening in women over age 65. Care Management Journals, 11(1), 48-57.
13.
BriceJ. H.TraversD.CowdenC. S.YoungM. D.SanhuezaA.SunstonY. (2008). Health literacy among Spanish-speaking patients in the emergency department. Journal of the National Medical Association, 100, 1326-1332.
14.
BritiganD. H.MuranJ.Rojsa-GuylerL. (2009). A qualitative study examining Latino functional health literacy levels and sources of health information. Journal of Community Health, 34, 222-230.
15.
BulataoR. A.AndersonN. B. (Eds.). (2004). Understanding racial and ethnic differences in health and late life: A research agenda. National Research Council. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
16.
CaffertyP. S.EngstromD. W. (Eds.). (2006). Hispanics in the United States: An agenda for the twenty-first century. New Brunswik, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
17.
ChavezL. R.McMullinJ. M.MishraS. I.HubbellF. A. (2001). Beliefs matter: Cultural beliefs and the use of cervical cancer-screening tests. American Anthropologist, 103, 1114-1129.
18.
ChavezL. R.HubbellF. A.MishraS. L.ValdezB. R. (1997). The influence of fatalism on self-reported use of Papanicolaou smears. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 13, 418-424.
19.
CooperP. C.PolonecL.GelbA. C. (2011). Women’s knowledge and awareness of gynecological cancer: A multisite qualitative study in the United States. Journal of Women’s Health, 20, 517-524.
20.
CoughlinS. S.UhlerR. J.RichardsT.WilsonK. M. (2003). Breast and cervical cancer screening practices among Hispanic and non-Hispanic women residing near the United States-Mexico border 1999-2000. Family and Community Health, 26(2), 130-139.
21.
DavisT. C.ArnoldC.BerkelH. J.NandyI.JacksonR. H.GlassJ. (1996). Knowledge and attitude on screening mammography among low-literate, low-income women. Cancer, 78, 1996-1920.
22.
DeWaltD. A.BerkmanN. D.SheridanS.LohrN.PignoneN. P. (2004). Literacy and health outcomes: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 19, 1228-1239.
23.
Fernández-EsquerM. E.EspinozaP.RamirezA. G.McAlisterA. L. (2003). Repeated Pap smear screening among Mexican-American women. Health Education Research, 18, 477-487.
24.
FloresB. E. (2009). Health literacy and cervical cancer screening among Hispanic women: A systematic review. Unpublished manuscript, University of Texas at Austin.
25.
FloresB.VolkerD. L. (2011). Cervical cancer and older Mexican-American women: A case study. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 4(1), 3-8.
26.
GarbersS.ChiassonM. A. (2004). Inadequate functional health literacy in Spanish as a barrier to cervical cancer screening among immigrant Latinas in New York City. Preventing Chronic Disease, 1(4), 1-10.
27.
GazmararianJ. A.BakerD. W.WilliamsM. V.ParkerR. M.ScottT. L.GreenD. C.KoplanJ. P. (1999). Health literacy among Medicare enrollees in a managed care organization. Journal of the American Medical Association, 281, 545-551.
28.
GuerraC. E.KrumholzM.SheaJ. A. (2005). Literacy and knowledge, attitudes and behavior about mammography in Latinas. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 16, 152-166.
29.
GuilfoyleS.FrancoR.GorinS. S. (2007). Exploring older women’s approaches to cervical cancer screening. Health Care for Women International, 28, 930-950.
30.
HawleyS. T.JanzK. N.HamiltonA.GriggsJ. J.AldermanA. K.MujahidM.KatzS. J. (2008). Latina patient perspectives about informed treatment decision making for breast cancer. Patient Education and Counseling, 73, 363-370.
31.
HewittM.DevesaS. S.BreenN. (2004). Cervical cancer screening among U.S. women: Analyses of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Preventive Medicine, 39, 270-278.
32.
HowardD. H.GazmararianJ.ParkerR. M. (2005). The impact of low health literacy on the medical costs of Medicare managed care enrollees. The American Journal of Medicine, 118, 371-377.
33.
HubbellF. A.ChavezL. R.ShirazS. I.ValdezR. B. (1996). Beliefs about sexual behavior and other predictors of Papanicolaou smear screening among Latinas and Anglo women. Archives of Internal Medicine, 156, 2353-2358.
34.
JacobsE. A.KaravalosK.RathouzP. J.FerrisT. G.PowellL. H. (2005). Limited English proficiency and breast and cervical cancer screening in a multiethnic population. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 1410-1416.
35.
JemalA.SiegelR.WardE.HaoY.XuJ.MurrayT.ThunM. J. (2008). Cancer statistics, 2008. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 58(2), 71-96.
36.
KamangarF.DoresG. M.AndersonW. F. (2006). Patterns of cervical incidence, mortality and prevalence across five continents: Defining priorities to reduce cancer disparities in different geographic regions of the world. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 24, 2137-2150.
37.
KoskanA.FriedmanD. B.MessiasD. K. H. (2010). Health literacy among Hispanics: A systematic research review (1992-2008). Hispanic Health Care International, 8(2), 65-76.
38.
KutnerM.GreenbergE.JinY.BoyleB.HsuY.DunleavyE. (2007, April). Literacy in everyday life: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NCES 2007-480).
39.
LindauS. T.TomoriC.LyonsT.LangsethL.BennettC.GarciaP. (2002). The association of health literacy with cervical cancer prevention knowledge and health behaviors in a multiethnic cohort of women. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 186, 938-943.
40.
National Literacy Act of 1991. Pub. L. No. 102-73, 105 Stat. 333: (1991).
41.
Nielsen-BohlmanL.PanzerA. M.KindigD. A. (Eds.). (2004). Health literacy: A prescription to end confusion. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
42.
O’ConnorD. M. (2007). A brief history of lower genital tract screening. Journal of Lower Genital Tract Diseases, 11(3), 182-188.
43.
OlneyC. A.WarnerD. G.ReynaG.WoodF. B.SiegelE. R. (2007). MedlinePlus and the challenge of low health literacy: Findings from the colonias project. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 95(1), 31-39.
44.
Paasche-OrlowM. K.ParkerR. M.GazmararianJ. A.Nielsen-BohlmanL. T.RuddR. R. (2005). The prevalence of limited health literacy. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20, 175-184.
45.
RamirezA. G.SuarezL.LaufmanL.BarrosoC.ChalelaP. (2000). Hispanic women’s breast and cervical cancer knowledge, attitudes and screening behaviors. American Journal of Health Promotions, 14, 292-300.
46.
RatzanS. C.ParkerR. M. (2000). Introduction. In National Library of Medicine Current Bibliographies in Medicine: Health Literacy. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
47.
ReynoldsD. (2004). Cervical cancer in Hispanic/Latino women. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 8(2), 146-150.
48.
SarfatyM.TurnerC. H.DamottaE. (2005). Use of a patient assistant to facilitate medical visits for Latino patients with low literacy. Journal of Community Health, 30, 299-307.
49.
SarkarU.KarterA. J.LiuJ. Y.AdlerN. E.NguyenR.LopezA.SchillingerD. (2010). The literacy divide: Health literacy and the use of an internet-based patient portal in an integrated health system - Results from the diabetes study of Northern California (DISTANCE). Journal of Health Communication, 15(S2), 183-196.
50.
ScarinciI. C.BeechB. M.KovachK. W.BaileyT. L. (2003). An examination of sociocultural factors associated with cervical cancer screening among low-income Latina immigrants of reproductive age. Journal of Immigrant Health, 5(3), 119-128.
51.
ScarinciI. C.GarciaF. A.KobetzE.PartridgeE. E.BrandtH. M.BellM. C.CastleP. E. (2010). Cervical cancer prevention: New tools and old barriers. Cancer, 116, 2531-2542.
52.
ScottT. L.GazmararianJ. A.WilliamsM. V.BakerD. W. (2002). Health literacy and preventive care among Medicare enrollees in a managed care organization. Medical Care, 40, 395-404.
53.
ShahM.ZhuK.WuK.PotterJ. (2005). Hispanic acculturation and utilization of cervical cancer screening in the US. Preventive Medicine, 42, 146-149.
54.
SudoreR. L.LandefeldC. S.Perez-StableE. J.Bibbins-DomingoK.WilliamsB. A.SchillingerD. (2009). Unraveling the relationship between literacy, language proficiency, and patient-physician communication. Patient Education and Counseling, 75, 398-402.
55.
SudoreR. L.MehtaK. M.SimonsickE. M.HarrisT. B.NewmanA. B.SatterfieldS.YaffeK. (2006). Limited literacy in older people and disparities in health and healthcare access. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 54, 770-776.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health (2001). National standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in health care. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/pdfs/CLASStandards.pdf
59.
van ServellenG.NyamathiA.CarpioF.PearceD.Garcia-TeagueL.HerreraG.LombardiE. (2005). Effects of a treatment adherence enhancement program on health literacy, patient provider relationships, and adherence to HAART among low-income HIV-positive Spanish-speaking Latinos. AIDS Patient Care and STD’s, 19, 745-759.
60.
WarrenJ. B.GullettH.KingV. J. (2009). Cervical cancer screening and updated guidelines. Primary Care, 36, 131-149.
61.
WaxmanA. G. (2005). Guidelines for cervical cancer screening: History and scientific rationale. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 48(1), 77-97.
62.
WhiteS.ChenJ.AtchisonR. (2008). Relationship of preventive health practices and health literacy: A national study. American Journal of Health Behavior, 32, 227-242.
63.
WolfM. S.GazmararianJ. A.BakerD. W. (2005). Health literacy and functional health status among older adults. Archives of Internal Medicine, 165, 1946-1952.
64.
ZarcadoolasC.PleasantA.GreerS. D. (2005). Understanding health literacy: An expanded model. Health Promotion International, 20(2), 195-203.
