Non-Economic and Economic Factors in the Decision to Obtain a Pap Smear: The Case of Women Residents in the State of Florida

In this unique study of the adult female population in the state of Florida, we found that the percentage of the women 18 to 44 years of age within each county in the state of Florida in 2007 who had received a Pap smear during the past year was a decreasing function of the percentage of women 18 years of age and older who were current smokers, while being an increasing function of the percentage of women 18 years of age and older with an annual income of $25,000 or more, the percentage of adult women under the age of 45 who take a multivitamin daily, the percentage of women age 18 and older who were high school gradu-ates with at least some college education as well, and the percentage of adult women who were classified as leading a sedentary lifestyle. It also appears that the percentage of the women 18 to 44 years of age within each county in the state of Florida in 2007 who had received a Pap smear during the past year was a decreasing function of the percentage of the women 18 years of age and older who were overweight. Based on these findings, certain preliminary general public policy implications are offered in the concluding section of the study.