Objectives: To identify determinants of follow-up care and diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer among uninsured/underinsured women screened for cervical cancer.
Methods: We examined the associations between health care facility, area-level, and individual-level factors on the outcomes of interest in retrospective cohort of women from the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program (2000-2015).
Results: Women screened at department of health clinics (aOR:3.11, 95% CI: 2.30-4.20) and health care system-affiliated clinics (aOR:1.71, 95% CI: 1.11-2.64) had higher odds of lacking follow-up care compared with women in private physician practices. Similarly, women residing in areas with the highest unemployment had higher odds of lacking follow-up (aOR:1.48, 95% CI: 1.07-2.06). Delays in follow-up care were higher for women born in Central/South American countries compared with U.S.-born women (aOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.12-1.92).
Conclusions: Improved outreach efforts and multilevel strategies are needed to address the persistent barriers to appropriate follow-up care for underserved women.