Ghana - World Health Survey 2003, Wave 0

This question is only to be asked to women aged 18 to 69 years. The question has two purposes. First, it introduces the topic of cervical cancer screening with a more general aspect of reproductive health: when the respondent last had a pelvic examination. A woman can only have a PAP smear test within the context of a pelvic examination. Second, it filters out those respondents who either never had a pelvic examination, or only had it over 3 years ago. Only exams that took place within the past 3 years are of interest. The interviewer should ask how long ago the respondent last had a pelvic examination. If the respondent had a pelvic examination but does not remember when exactly the examination took place, the interviewer should probe for the approximate elapsed time since the last examination. Determine if the last exam was WITHIN THE LAST 3 YEARS.
If the respondent had an exam in the last 3 years, proceed to question Q6301. If the respondent did not have an exam in the last 3 years, go to question Q6302. If the respondent is unsure what is meant by a pelvic exam, it is important to read a
description to help her understand. Read the following (or similar) description: “A pelvic examination is when a doctor, nurse, or midwife examines the outside and inside of the vagina. It usually involves passing a speculum into the vagina. The speculum looks a little like a duck's bill and allows the doctor, nurse, or midwife to see inside. Usually the doctor, nurse, or midwife will feel inside the vagina.”