Attitudes, knowledge and practice of women regarding cervical cancer screening in Nifas Silk Lafto subcity, Addis Ababa

Abstract

STUDENT NO: 55778615 Background: Cervical cancer screening is less than 1% in Ethiopia. Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Ethiopian women (Meried, 2017). The purpose of this study was to analyse the knowledge, attitude, and practice of women in the Nifas silk lafto subcity regarding cervical cancer screening. The findings of this study may contribute to future research aimed at improving existing plans and documenting health behavior. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted. A structured questionnaire was utilized to collect data. Data collection took place between July September 2017 among (N=287) women residing in Nifas Silk Lafto subcity within Addis Ababa. Cross tabulation and the chi square test were used to analyse the data. Stratified random sampling was utilized during two different stages. The first stage of random sampling took place for the purpose of sampling the Woredas in the sub city followed by simple random sampling of women within the selected Woreda. Results: The study showed significant correlation of age, marital status, income, and educational level of respondents with good knowledge and attitude. Respondents that had good awareness of cervical cancer screening scored between 57.1% to 71.6%. From those who understood, 14.6% of them were familiar with liquid based cytology. STUDENT NO: 55778615 Background: Cervical cancer screening is less than 1% in Ethiopia. Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Ethiopian women (Meried, 2017). The purpose of this study was to analyse the knowledge, attitude, and practice of women in the Nifas silk lafto subcity regarding cervical cancer screening. The findings of this study may contribute to future research aimed at improving existing plans and documenting health behavior. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted. A structured questionnaire was utilized to collect data. Data collection took place between July September 2017 among (N=287) women residing in Nifas Silk Lafto subcity within Addis Ababa. Cross tabulation and the chi square test were used to analyse the data. Stratified random sampling was utilized during two different stages. The first stage of random sampling took place for the purpose of sampling the Woredas in the sub city followed by simple random sampling of women within the selected Woreda. Results: The study showed significant correlation of age, marital status, income, and educational level of respondents with good knowledge and attitude. Respondents that had good awareness of cervical cancer screening scored between 57.1% to 71.6%. From those who understood, 14.6% of them were familiar with liquid based cytology. Chemotherapy is well-known among respondents as a treatment for cervical cancer (44.9% ). Good knowledge had a stronger link to the media. Majority of respondents (79.8%) agreed that asymptomatic women should be screened. While there is a low association between attitudes and knowledge about cervical cancer screening, there is a poor correlation between attitudes and knowledge about cervical cancer screening. The age group of 30–39-year-olds has the greatest rate of pap smear visits (31.3%), while the age group of 18–29-year-olds has the lowest rate (7%). Cervical cancer screening was performed on just 14.2% of the respondents. The main reason for not being screened is apprehension about the outcome. Fear of procedure accounted for 25.1%, while lack of service accounted for the remaining 38%. Conclusion: According to the findings, women's age has no bearing on their attitudes or practices. Respondents with a poor educational level, on the other hand, have the lowest knowledge and practice of cervical cancer screening. The media is a key source of information on cervical cancer screening (34%). There was no significant correlation found between cervical cancer screening practices and respondents' knowledge as well as attitudes.