Cervical cancer rates in Allegheny County communities

Aggregated cervical cancer rates for the 21 year period 1985 through 2005 were age-adjusted and standardized for each neighborhood and municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Cervical cancer rates for each community were compared with the county as a whole utilizing rate ratios. Mean annual cervical cancer rates were analyzed for relationships with community population density, racial proportion and median income. Community data was non-normal. Cross-tabulations, Chi-square analyses and graphs illustrated complex relationships between community median income, racial proportion, population density and cervical cancer rates. Communities with the highest incomes had lower overall cervical cancer rates across their respective racial proportions. Communities with the lowest median incomes and highest proportions of minorities had the highest cervical cancer rates across population densities. Across racial proportions, higher-income communities' cervical cancer rates improved with increasing population density, while lower income community rates had a U-shaped relationship across the range of population density.