From the June 2018 collection, this indicator is the proportion of female Indigenous regular clients aged 20–74 who have not had a hysterectomy and who had cervical screening within the previous 2, 3 and 5 years.
It is collected for females in age groups:
- 20–24
- 25–34
- 35–44
- 45–54
- 55–64
- 65–69
- 70–74.
Prior to June 2018, this indicator was collected for those aged 20–69 and a different definition of ‘cervical screening’ applied. See Why cervical screening is important and Technical notes for more information.
Why cervical screening is important
Cervical screening aims to detect and treat precancerous abnormalities that might otherwise progress to cervical cancer. Indigenous women generally experience a high burden from cervical cancer compared with non-Indigenous women (AIHW 2019).
The National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP), which aims to reduce mortality from cervical cancer, was originally targeted at women aged 20–69 for a 2-yearly Papanicolaou (Pap) smear, or ‘Pap test’, to detect precancerous abnormalities of the cervix. From 1 December 2017, the NCSP changed to 5-yearly cervical screening for women aged 25–74 using a primary human papilloma virus (HPV) test with partial HPV genotyping and reflex liquid-based cytology triage.
While the HPV vaccine is very effective at protecting against the 2 most common cervical cancer-causing types of HPV, it doesn’t protect against all types of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer. This means that both HPV-vaccinated and unvaccinated women are recommended to have regular Cervical Screening Tests (the Pap test replacement) to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer.
At June 2020, 42% of female Indigenous regular clients aged 20–74 who have not had a hysterectomy had cervical screening within the previous 5 years.