The determinants of knowledge of cervical cancer, attitude towards screening and practice of cervical cancer prevention amongst antenatal attendees in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

Women's willingness for cervical cancer screening and associated factors among women attending health services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background

Cervical cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality globally. In developed countries, effective screening programs reduced its burden. However, in Ethiopia, cervical cancer remains a major public health problem despite the screening service being available free of charge.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess women's willingness for cervical cancer screening services and associated factors among women attending health services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Design

An institutional-based, analytic, cross-sectional study was conducted among sexually active women attending health facilities from August to September 2022.

Methods

A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Logistic regression was used to determine different variables' frequencies and associated factors. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Result

Four hundred twenty-two women were approached, and 394 (93.4%) met the study inclusion criteria. Study participants had a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 6 sexual partners in their lives. A total of 256 (64.9%) study participants had heard about cervical cancer. Among those who heard about cervical cancer, only 22 (8.6%) had been tested for cervical cancer. Of those who did not receive cervical cancer screening, only 175 (47.0%) are willing to receive cervical cancer screening. Age, religion, marital status, place of residence, educational level, occupation, and hearing about cervical cancer were found to be statistically significant. Women who heard about cervical cancer were 15.2 times more likely to take the test compared to those who never heard about cervical cancer before the study.

Conclusion

Women's willingness to be screened for cervical cancer is low despite many of the study participants having more than one partner in their lives and being at risk for cervical cancer. Only a few participants had been screened for cervical cancer. Women who had heard about cervical cancer were more likely to take the screening service compared to those who had never heard it before. This highlights the need to prioritize raising awareness about the benefits of cervical cancer screening services.

Knowledge of cervical cancer screening and associated factors among women attending maternal health services at Aira Hospital, West Wollega, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer is one of the major noncommunicable public health problems among women globally. About 500,000 women develop cervical cancer each year, with an estimated 85% or more occurring in developing countries, including Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the study was to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer screening and its associated factors among women attending maternal health services at Aira hospital, West Wollega, Ethiopia.

METHODS

An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 421 reproductive-age women. A systematic sampling method was used for the study. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and the statistical association between the outcome variable and the explanatory variables tested by the binary logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control confounding factors, the magnitude of the association between the different independent and dependent variable was measured using 95% confidence interval, and p values below 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 421 women were responded with 100% response rate and with the mean age of 26.0 ± 5.15 (M ± SD) years. About 95.0% of the respondents ever heard of cervical cancer and 46.8% of the respondents had good knowledge about cervical cancer screening. Age, occupation, educational level, and monthly income were predictors associated with knowledge about cervical cancer screening.

CONCLUSION

The study revealed 46.8% of study participants had knowledge about cervical cancer screening. The age of the participant, occupation, level of education, and monthly income were determinants of knowledge about cervical cancer screening. Prevention programs should focus on cervical cancer screening according to identified factors in the study.