Awareness and Attitude to the Risk of Cervical Cancer and Screening Methods among Women in the Najran Region of Southern Saudi Arabia
Introduction:The aim of this study was determined the level of awareness among women regarding risk factors for cervical cancer and screening methods, their sources of information, and general attitudes toward Pap smear screening tests and human papilloma virus vaccination.
Method: A cross-sectional interviewer administered an electronic questionnaire among women in Najran City during the period from March 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
Result: A total of 3,387 women participated in this study. Less than 10% of the participants had good awareness and 70% had poor awareness about the risk factors for cervical cancer. In terms of the major barriers to taking the Pap smear test among married women, 968 (56.7%) had no knowledge of the test and 338 (19.85%) considered it unnecessary. Significant predictors of the level of awareness about cervical cancer and Pap smear testing were identified as the age of women, occupation, family history of cancer, monthly income (P < 0.001) and education level (P = 0.003).
Conclusion: we detected a lack of awareness about risk factors for cervical cancer and the benefits of early detection among women in this region. Healthcare providers should implement policies or programs for cervical cancer screening and vaccination throughout all primary healthcare centers.
Figure 1
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Posted 07 Jun, 2020
Awareness and Attitude to the Risk of Cervical Cancer and Screening Methods among Women in the Najran Region of Southern Saudi Arabia
Posted 07 Jun, 2020
Introduction:The aim of this study was determined the level of awareness among women regarding risk factors for cervical cancer and screening methods, their sources of information, and general attitudes toward Pap smear screening tests and human papilloma virus vaccination.
Method: A cross-sectional interviewer administered an electronic questionnaire among women in Najran City during the period from March 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
Result: A total of 3,387 women participated in this study. Less than 10% of the participants had good awareness and 70% had poor awareness about the risk factors for cervical cancer. In terms of the major barriers to taking the Pap smear test among married women, 968 (56.7%) had no knowledge of the test and 338 (19.85%) considered it unnecessary. Significant predictors of the level of awareness about cervical cancer and Pap smear testing were identified as the age of women, occupation, family history of cancer, monthly income (P < 0.001) and education level (P = 0.003).
Conclusion: we detected a lack of awareness about risk factors for cervical cancer and the benefits of early detection among women in this region. Healthcare providers should implement policies or programs for cervical cancer screening and vaccination throughout all primary healthcare centers.
Figure 1