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North East Women Not Getting Smear Tests
20 January 2014, 06:24 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
New research shows 6 in 10 women in their mid 20s in the North East aren't going for smear tests.
The figures from Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust (JCCT) also show almost a third of women in the UK don't know the cause of cervical cancer.
Around 3 women die of cervical cancer each day in the UK.
Screening saves 5,000 lives a year, yet one in five women who are eligible for screening do not take up their invitation.
The research from JCCT of 2,021 women across the UK from the first (25-29 years) and last (60-64 years) age groups eligible for screening found over half (55%) did not know the sexually transmitted Human Papillomavirus (HPV), caused the disease.
It is estimated that early detection and treatment through screening can prevent up to 75% of cervical cancers but, on average, 25-29 year olds delay testing for 15 months.
| North East | Percentage of 25-29 year olds |
| Kept putting off their test | 60% (Highest in the UK) |
| Worried it could be painful | 45% (Highest in the UK) |
| Worried it would be embarrassing | 45% (Second highest in the UK) |
| A friend reassuring them would encourage them to go |
35% |
| Forgot all about it | 15% |
| Number of people who delayed going for the test |
50% |
| Average time of delay (in months) |
11 |
| Didn't know the HPV virus caused cervical cancer |
42% |
| Didn't know the cause of cervical cancer |
45% (Highest in the UK) |
| Worried about what the results would say |
5% (Lowest in the UK) |
| Had a bad experience | 10% (Highest in the UK) |
| Thought cervical cancer was hereditary |
25% |
