Learning About Pap Smears: An Educational Skit for Hispanic Adolescents

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of an educational skit on improving knowledge and decision making/behavior toward obtaining a Pap smear. Methods: Ninety-two Hispanic high school female volunteers participated in an intervention, single-sample, preintervention/postintervention survey. Data were collected prior to (T0), immediately after (T1), and seven weeks after (T2) the intervention. The intervention was a live, 15-minute, English-language skit. Results: Fifty percent reported sexual intercourse. Viewing the skit was associated with 29% of those who needed a Pap smear done, actually scheduling or having a Pap smear done between T0 and T2. However, a causal relationship was not proven (P = 0.09). Knowledge was greater at T1 and T2 compared to T0 (P< 0.00001). However, there was a decrease in knowledge at T2 compared to T1. More subjects agreed that females their age were at risk for cancer at T2 compared to T0 (P = 0.0001). Conclusions: There was an improvement in and retention of knowledge about Pap smears after viewing this educational skit. This study sets the stage for evaluating this educational skit on a larger sample with a comparison group.