Background:

Cancer is a public health problem among women, but preventive actions are effective.

Aim:

To outline the reasons and factors associated with abstention from pap smears and mammography examinations among women.

Material and Methods:

Using official databases of the WHO and the Ministry of Social Development of Chile, inferential statistical analyses and modeling of abstention through binomial logistic regression were carried out.

Results:

Breast and cervical cancer had the highest incidence and mortality among women over 35 years old in Chile, even when there are effective screening methods for their early detection. Abstention is conditioned by personal reasons such as low risk perception. There is a high concomitance of abstention for pap smears and mammography.

Conclusions:

Health promotion actions should encourage women to undergo preventive actions for breast and cervical cancer.