Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion

See Public Health Differently

Public health enhances quality of life in Montana by supporting healthy living in your community. From ensuring tobacco-free public spaces to helping Health care providers improve patient care, it touches everyone in Montana – from birth to death. Our Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Bureau is working for you.

 

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month graphic telling ages when to get a pap smear.

 

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Every year in Montana on average, 36 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and nine women lose their lives to this disease1. The good news is that nearly all cases of cervical cancer can be prevented.

Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones:

  • Vaccination: 99 percent of all cervical cancer cases are caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection2. Get vaccinated against HPV to significantly reduce your risk.
  • Regular Screenings: Women aged 21 to 65 should undergo cervical cancer screenings every three years to detect early signs of the disease.3


Early detection is key. When caught early, cervical cancer is highly treatable.

1Montana Central Tumor Registry, 2017—2021; Montana Death Records, 2017—2021
2Islami, F., Sauer, A. G., Miller, K. D., Siegel, R. L., Fedewa, S. A., Jacobs, E. J., ... & McCullough, M. L. (2017). Proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in the United States. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 67(6), 309-326. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21440
3US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Cervical Cancer: US Preventive Services Task