ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF CERVICAL SCREENING PRACTISES AMONG REPRODUCTIVE AGE WOMEN ATTENDING A PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRE IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Background: cervical cancer which poses a global public health issue is the most common gynaecologic cancer worldwide. Cervical cancer screening with Papanicolaou (Pap) smear testing at regular intervals has been proven to be effective prevention, its uptake has been rather poor. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and the uptake of CC screening among women of reproductive age attending a Primary Health Centre.

Methods: A pretested, semi-structured, interviewer-guided questionnaire were administered to 216 participants to elicit their knowledge of cervical cancer, as well as their acceptance of cervical cancer screening practices.

Results: Knowledge of cervical cancer was high among respondents as 72.2% of them have heard of the condition before. Almost half (46.8%) of the respondents believed that having multiple sexual partners is a risk factor for cervical cancer while 67(31.0%) and 80(37.0%) recognized prolonged use of oral contraceptive pills and HPV infection as risk factors respectively. Only 21.9% recognized regular screening as a method of cervical cancer prevention. Some 75.9% wanted cervical cancer screening done despite their poor knowledge of the procedure while only 5.1% had had cervical cancer screening done before.

Conclusion: The practice of cervical cancer screening is still very low amongst the study population. There is an urgent and critical need for a population-based education campaign on cervical cancer and the benefits of screening. Screening services should be incorporated into the existing primary healthcare services.