Women in Singapore would rather go for a meeting at work or a dinner date rather than book in for a vital Pap smear test, a global survey reveals.
If the average Singaporean woman was given a windfall, she’d rather spend it on a weekend away (39%), invest it (27%) or on a pampering treat (12%). Spending the cash on a cervical cancer vaccine came in at just 8%.
The 39% of women choosing to jet-set is the highest in Asia (32%) and one of the highest in the world (35%).
Women in Singapore admitted they are more worried about putting on weight (40%) than getting cervical cancer (26%).
The global survey findings were released today at a POCC Pink Party held at Zouk, to engage young women to protect themselves from cervical cancer and to launch a POCC wristband designed by local celebrity model and designer Celia Teh, to help promote the cervical cancer awareness cause.
The survey revealed that over half (55%) of Singaporean women are worried about developing cervical cancer and the vast majority (86%) understand that Pap smear testing is to check for the early signs of cervical cancer.
This is one of the highest levels of awareness in the world, much higher than the global average of 74% and the 70% of females in neighbouring Malaysia.
Yet over half (59%) of Singaporean women admitted that they do not go for Pap smear tests as frequently as recommended by their doctor.
Worryingly, this is also one of the world’s highest levels beating the global average of 41%.
Instead of these vital check-ups, Singaporean women said they were more likely to go for a meeting at work (40%), or dinner with a friend (32%) rather than go for a Pap smear test (10%).
The survey also showed how Singaporean women put fun before their health when it comes to spending money.
Whilst over half of women in Singapore said they would get vaccinated against cervical cancer if they knew it was a positive step they could take to help protect their health in reality, nearly all (92%) of women had not been vaccinated.
Dr Tracey Lim, Vice President of the Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology of
Singapore (SCCPS) said, “Missing a Pap smear test could mean for some women that the early signs of cervical cancer are not being picked up. Vaccination alongside screening is the most effective way of preventing cervical cancer. Women should prioritise their cervical health and talk to their doctor.”
Doctors appear to play an important role in encouraging these women to help protect
themselves, as the majority of women (19%) said they thought they did not need to be
vaccinated because their doctor had not recommended it.
The findings from the new survey also complemented the results of another local poll on the attitudes of Singaporean women towards preventing cervical cancer, conducted by the
Singapore Cancer Society [SCS] in-house from April to September last year at its Pap smear clinic.
The SCS found that 60% of the 1,289 women polled had not even heard of the cervical cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) and 59% of them did not know that vaccination against HPV can help them prevent getting cervical cancer.
Half the respondents said that they would not consider vaccination against HPV due to lack of information on the vaccines available (23%), fear of potential side-effects (16%) as well as the cost of the vaccines (15%).
Dr Lim advised women in Singapore to go for their Pap smear screening regularly and to get vaccinated early. She said, “Women should protect themselves against cervical cancer. The cancer may require invasive treatment and can cause problems with future pregnancies or even lead to death.”
Cervical cancer can be a threat to all women. Worldwide, cervical cancer kills one woman every two minutes.
In Singapore, one woman dies from cervical cancer cancer every five days. It is the only
women’s cancer that can be prevented through Pap smear screening and vaccination.
The SCCPS champions the prevention of cervical cancer through the Power Over Cervical
Cancer [POCC] coalition. For more information about POCC, please visit: www.pocc.sg.
