THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF PAP SMEAR AMONG LOCAL SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE SHARJAH DISTRICT.
Materials and Methods
Study Population: This study was applied on married school teachers in Sharjah City. The total numbers of the chosen schools were 18 schools and 350 teachers participated in the study.

Study Design and data collection procedure:  
There are two components of the research:
1. Cross - sectional descriptive.
2. Cross - sectional analytic.

Data collection took place during January 2001.

Questionnaires were distributed to the subjects in 18 schools in Sharjah city.

Respondents filled out the questionnaires, which were collected one week after distribution. The response rate was 70%.

Sampling techniques:
1. Female school teachers in city.
2. Educated level.
3. UAE nationals.
4. Married.

Instrument
The questionnaire used was a self administered questionnaire. Consisting of 12 items that addressed demographic data and questions about knowledge of, altitude toward, and practice of papanicolaou smear screening.

Demographic data included age, Husband's education and duration of marriage.

Knowledge about papanicolaou smear was tested with the following items:

(1) Whether the respondent had ever heard of cervical cancer.
(2) Whether the respondent had ever heard of the papanicolaou
      smear is used to detect cervical cancer;
(3) Whether the respondent knew that early detection of cervical
      cancer leads to better treatment;
(4) Is it possible to cure this cancer.

The Knowledge Index classified women in to three groups: "good" for those who correctly answered all knowledge item; "average" For those with at least one wrong answer and "poor" For those with wrong answers for all items.

The respondents' attitude was ascertained with the following items:

- Whether they ever had a papanicolaou smear; where they prefer to have a papanicolaou smear, and by whom they prefer to do this test for them (e.g. GP, gynecologist, doctor, other).