Cancer of the cervix is the second most common cancer among Malaysian women. Pap smear screening can detect precursors of cervical cancer. This paper attempts to determine the factors that influence the uptake of Pap smear screening. This was a cross sectional study with 112 Malay women recruited from a public university. A questionnaire enquiring sociademographic characteristics and health seeking behaviour based on the Health Belief Model was modified, translated and pre·tested. Testeretest reliability was also conducted. The mean age of the participants was 35.8 + 9.1 years. Majority was married and had at least secondary education. Only 62% of them had ever undergone Pap smear screening. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed women who were married or divorced (OR: 50.79, 95% C1: 4.33; 596.36), older age (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03; 1.22) or perceived higher benefits of Pap smear (OR; 4.80, 95% CI: 1.14; 20.15)
were more lilcely to have undergone Pap smear screening. Measures in reducing barriers and educating the public on the benefits of Pap smear are strongly recommended.