Relevant Factors for Cervical Cancer Among Young Women in Taiwan

Summary 

Objective

To evaluate the relevant factors for cervical cancer among young women in Taiwan.

Materials and Methods

A case-control study was conducted between 1986 and 1992. The cases included 45 women younger than 36 years with histologically confirmed invasive cervical cancer. The controls were 54 women younger than 36 years with non-neoplastic conditions judged to be unrelated to any of the risk factors for cervical cancer. Questions were asked about demography, contraception, reproductive history, sexual history, diet, cigarette smoking, and cooking practices.

Results

Cross tabulation and Pearson's Chi-squared test showed that monthly income, age at first birth, parity, numbers of vaginal deliveries, age at first intercourse, history of sexually transmitted disease, husband visiting prostitutes, and cooking practice were significantly different between the case and control groups. However, after conditional logistic regression analysis, only cooking practice remained associated with cervical cancer among young women. Among young women reporting to cook on a daily basis, the risk for cervical cancer tended to increase among those who fried five times or more per month (OR = 7.4) compared with women who fried less often.

Conclusion

The results from this study indicated that cooking practice may be a risk factor for the development of cervical cancer among young women in Taiwan.

Key Words:  cervical cancer , cooking , young women

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