Educating Teens About The Value of Regular Pap Tests

CANCER CARE N.S.--Educating Teens About The Value of Regular Pap Tests

Cancer officials have targeted a new audience for this year's Pap Test Awareness Week -- Grade 9 students.

Grade 9 teachers are being provided with a new resource kit that encourages students to make healthy lifestyle choices. The cervical health curriculum resource -- Finally a test you don't need to study for ... Cervical Health and You -- was unveiled today, Oct. 17, by Cancer Care Nova Scotia and its partners at the launch of Pap Test Awareness Week (Oct. 19-25).

The three-lesson kit, developed for Health, Personal Development and Relationships (PDR) teachers, focuses on three areas of cervical health: understanding the risks; the Pap test; and Pap test results. The kit includes resource materials such as overheads, handouts, lists of frequently asked questions, a glossary of terms and sample Pap test instruments.

"Education is essential in our fight against cervical cancer," said Dr. Rob Grimshaw, medical director, Gynaecological Cancer Screening Program. "We need to reach out to young people, communicate the risk factors and emphasize that a regular Pap test is the best defence in preventing cervical cancer."

Regular Pap tests can prevent over 90 per cent of all deaths from cervical cancer, yet only about 40 per cent of Nova Scotia women have regular Pap tests.

Dr. Grimshaw said the kits are designed to encourage a life-long commitment to healthy lifestyle practices.

"We hope this resource will provide the basis for frank discussion among students, their teachers and their parents, both inside and outside the classroom."

Inservice sessions are being held with Grade 9 PDR teachers and guidance counsellors from each of the school boards in Nova Scotia, to introduce the new cervical health resource. Local public health nurses, cytology lab staff and members of the Regional Resource Network (volunteer lay educators) have also been invited to attend. To date, four of seven inservices have been held. The remainder will be complete by Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Joe Bishera, a Grade 9 PDR teacher at Maple Grove Junior High School, said the resource "will be very valuable in enabling our students to make informed decisions."

Developed by Cancer Care Nova Scotia's Gynaecological Cancer Screening Program, and endorsed by the Department of Education, the kits will be available for use with Grade 9 students across the province during this school year.

"A focus of the Office of Health Promotion is to educate youth so that they make the right choices and form healthy habits early in life," said Minister of Health Promotion Rodney MacDonald. "This new curriculum will create awareness about cervical cancer and dispel any misunderstanding that students might have about Pap test screening. It is important for youth to be informed about how this annual exam can save their lives."

Provincial guidelines suggest that all women 18 years and over have annual Pap tests. Annual Pap tests are encouraged at a younger age if the individuals are sexually active. Statistics indicate that the majority of Nova Scotia women in their child- bearing years are well screened. However, the regularity of the practice drops considerably after women pass their child-bearing years. Recently there has also been a decline in the number of teens scheduling regular Pap tests.

"Almost all cervical cancer is preventable if the warning signs are caught early," said Dr. Mary Doyle, president of the Medical Society of Nova Scotia. "Women need to make having a regular Pap test a routine part of their lives. The doctors of Nova Scotia are pleased that youth of this province are being targeted this year. By educating these young women now about the importance of regular Pap testing, we can help them develop healthy habits they will carry over into their adulthood."

Pap Test Awareness Week is designed to heighten awareness around the value of regular Pap tests in preventing cervical cancer. Led by Cancer Care Nova Scotia's Gynaecological Cancer Screening Program, Pap Test Awareness Week partners include: the Department of Health, the Office of Health Promotion, the Medical Society of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Cancer Society - Nova Scotia Division.

"A regular Pap test is an effective way to detect cancer early. And we know that early detection can save lives," said Maureen Summers, executive director of the Canadian Cancer Society. "We encourage women to learn more about the importance of Pap tests and early detection by talking with their family doctor or public health nurse."

The Gynaecological Cancer Screening Program is dedicated to decreasing the incidence of gynaecological cancer in the province of Nova Scotia. Initial efforts focus on cervical cancer through a comprehensive and equitable model in prevention, early detection and appropriate management.

NOTE: Following is a list of partner agencies and departments involved in Pap Test Awareness Week:

• Cancer Care Nova Scotia is a program of the Department of Health, created to reduce the burden of cancer on individuals, families and the health-care system through prevention, screening and research and to lessen the fear of cancer through education and information. Its programs are centred in the community, compassionate to patients, cost-effective and based on sound research.

• The Department of Health, through leadership and collaboration, works to ensure an appropriate, effective and sustainable health system that promotes, maintains and improves the health of Nova Scotians.

• The Office of Health Promotion was created in December 2002 to give a greater focus to improving the overall health of Nova Scotians. The office's key areas of focus include: physical activity (sport and recreation), tobacco control, injury prevention, healthy eating, public health, and healthy sexuality.

• The Medical Society of Nova Scotia is the professional society representing all physicians in the province of Nova Scotia. The Society works in partnership with other health-care organizations to enhance the quality of medical care for Nova Scotians. This is achieved through public education, development of health-care policies, peer review, medical education, and negotiations with government on behalf of physicians.

• The Canadian Cancer Society - Nova Scotia Division is a community-based, non-profit organization partnering with communities to overcome cancer and create healthier lives for all Nova Scotians. The society achieves its mission through research, programs that bring help and hope to people affected by cancer, and prevention initiatives that help people reduce their cancer risk.

Individuals looking for information about any aspect of cancer, including cancer prevention, can call the Cancer Information Service at 1-888-939-3333.