BackgroundWomen from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to attend cervical screening, but further understanding of ethnic inequalities in cervical screening uptake is yet to be established. This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic and ethnicity-related predictors of cervical cancer knowledge, cervical screening attendance and reasons for non-attendance among Black women in London.MethodsA questionnaire was completed by women attending Black and ethnic hair and beauty specialists in London between February and April 2013. A stratified sampling frame was used to identify Black hair specialists in London subdivisions with >10% Black population (including UK and foreign-born). Fifty-nine salons participated. Knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors and symptoms, self-reported screening attendance and reasons for non-attendance at cervical screening were assessed.ResultsQuestionnaires were completed by 937 Black women aged 18–78, describing themselves as being predominantly from African or Caribbean backgrounds (response rate 26.5%). Higher educational qualifications (p < .001) and being born in the UK (p = .011) were associated with greater risk factor knowledge. Older age was associated with greater symptom knowledge (p < .001). Being younger, single, African (compared to Caribbean) and attending religious services more frequently were associated with being overdue for screening. Women who had migrated to the UK more than 10 years ago were less likely to be overdue than those born in the UK. Of those overdue for screening who endorsed a barrier (67/133), ‘I meant to go but didn’t get round to it’ (28%), fear of the test procedure (18%) and low risk perception (18%) were the most common barriers.ConclusionsEthnicity, migration and religiosity play a role in predicting cervical screening attendance among women from Black backgrounds. African women, those born in the UK and those who regularly attend church are most likely to put off attending. Additional research is needed to explore the attitudes, experiences and beliefs that explain why these groups might differ.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-1096) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A female patient is described aged 28 years, height 145 cm, with infantile genitalia, infantile uterus and atrophic ovaries and in whom menstruation had occurred over a period of five years. Chromosome studies from bone marrow, blood, skin (arm and abdominal wall) and both ovaries revealed sex chromosome mosaicism and a structurally abnormal X chromosome. Three cell lines were observed. The prevalent cell line which was present in cultures from all tissues had 45 chromosomes and an XO karyotype; cultures from all tissues except the abdominal skin contained cells with 46 chromosomes, with an X/deleted X karyotype (the latter in the form of a large acrocentric chromosome); lastly a small dot-like (ring?) chromosome was present as the 46th chromosome in some cells derived from the 1960; Sele 8c Trolle 1960; Lindsten 1963). Cytological studies on five of these atypical cases (Lindsten 1963) revealed a variety of chromosomal conditions, ranging from an apparently normal XX female karyotype, through various mosaics XO/XX, XO/X ring X to an XO karyotype.The present communication describes a patient with Turner's syndrome, in

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