Knowledge of cervical cancer screening and its determinants among 30–49 years old rural reproductive age women in Sadi Chanka district, West Oromia, Ethiopia, 2022: A mixed method study
Authors: Guye Ararso Hordofa , Shambi Dame Banti , Nigussie Tadesse , Wayesa Tolosa Desisa 
Published: March 2024

Background:

Cervical cancer is one of the cancers affecting the female organs connecting the uterus and vagina. It is the second most common form of cancer among reproductive-age women living in Ethiopia. It is one of the preventable cancers; through effective interventions with timely screening and treatment can reduce the risk of deaths associated with the disease. The study aimed to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer screening and its determinants among rural reproductive-age women in Sadi Chanka district, Western Ethiopia.

Methods:

A community-based cross-sectional study supplemented with qualitative findings was conducted from February 1 to 28, 2022, with a total sample size of 867. Data collection was done by using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire using simple random sampling techniques to select representative rural women aged between 30–49 years from selected kebeles. Bivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, and the variables with a p-value less than 0.25 were recruited to the multivariable analysis. Finally, an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% CI and a p-value less than 0.05 was used to declare the statistically significant determinants of knowledge of cervical cancer screening. For qualitative findings, a key informant interview guide was used to collect the qualitative data through in-depth interviews. A total of nine Key Informants Interviews were selected by a purposive sampling technique. Participants’ interviews were translated, transcribed, coded, categorized, and triangulated with quantitative data.

Results:

In this study, the prevalence of knowledge of cervical cancer screening among reproductive-age women was 51.3% with a 95% CI of (95% CI: 47.7–54.6). The mean age of the participants was 38.50 (±4.4 SD) years, and their ages ranged from 30 to 49 years. Of all assessed factors: modern contraceptive methods use (AOR = 1.79, (95% CI: 1.21–2.63)), history of sexually transmitted diseases (AOR = 1.97, (95% CI: 1.15–3.38)), family history of cervical cancer (AOR = 2.02, (95% CI: 1.06–3.87)), and knowing women who had cervical cancer (AOR = 2.72, (95% CI: 1.96–3.79)) were significantly associated with knowledge of cervical cancer screening.

Conclusion:

The study revealed that, the knowledge of cervical cancer screening is found to be low, which is only 51.3% of reproductive-age women knew about cervical cancer screening. The study identified that modern contraceptive methods use, history of sexually transmitted disease, family history with cervical cancer, and knowing those women who had cervical cancer were found to be the determinants of knowledge of cervical cancer screening among reproductive-age women. Thus, the district health office and concerned stakeholders should work on interventions aimed at improving the awareness of cervical cancer screening among reproductive-age women through providing appropriate health communication activities about cervical cancer screening at the community level using health extension workers.