scholarly journals Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding cervical cancer prevention at Thulamela Municipality of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province

Author(s):  
Dorah U. Ramathuba ◽  
Doris Ngambi ◽  
Lunic B. Khoza ◽  
Nditsheni J. Ramakuela

Background: Cervical cancer is a widespread and often fatal disease that affected 1 million women globally in 2005. Not only is it the second most common cancer in women but it was also the second leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting for over 250 000 in 2006.Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding cervical cancer prevention among rural women in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province.Methodology: A quantitative descriptive approach was adopted. The quantitative design enabled the discovery of more information by means of direct questioning of a sample of women aged 30 years and older. A convenience sampling was used to select the respondents. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Measures to ensure ethical issues were adhered to.Results: The findings revealed that women lacked knowledge about cervical cancer and preventive methods, and displayed positive attitudes to the use of services if made available as health workers did not adequately inform them about the availability of the services.Conclusion: The awareness of cervical cancer among women in Vhembe District is limited. There is a need to educate and promote awareness of cervical cancer among women to reduce the burden of morbidity and mortality.Keywords: Attitudes, knowledge, practices, cervical cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas T. Miles ◽  
Amy R. Riley-Powell ◽  
Gwenyth O. Lee ◽  
Esther E. Gotlieb ◽  
Gabriela C. Barth ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cervical cancer is a leading cause of death among Peruvian women. Barriers at multiple levels impact effective screening and treatment, including a lack of knowledge about cervical cancer and how regular screening can reduce morbidity and mortality through earlier detection. The aim of this study is to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding cervical cancer and its prevention in the peri-urban communities of Oasis and Pampas in southern Lima, Peru that can be used to inform future campaigns about cervical cancer prevention. Methods A cross-sectional survey that included several open-ended questions was administered to women in Pampas and Oasis between 2015 and 2016 to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding cervical cancer and Pap smears. Results In total, 224 women were interviewed. Knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smears was high, and attitudes were predominantly positive among most participants. Most participants knew how often they should get Pap smears (89.7%), when to begin seeking screening (74.6%), knew the price of a Pap smear (61.9%), and felt Pap smears were important for their health (70.1%). About one third (29.5%) of premenopausal women reported receiving a Pap smear in the last year. However, open ended questions revealed some knowledge gaps around Pap smears, as well as some stigma associated to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection. Conclusion Although knowledge of cervical cancer prevention was generally high and perceptions were positive among women in peri-urban Peruvian communities, our findings revealed there is a need for education on HPV infection prevalence among sexually active individuals to reduce stigma. Future research should focus on exploring experiences with follow-up and treatment associated with abnormal Pap smears, as well as perspectives from health authorities and professionals about barriers in the early detection and treatment process for cervical cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Edwar Siddig ◽  
Ayman Ahmed ◽  
Eiman Siddig Ahmed ◽  
Mona Ali Mohammed ◽  
Ezzan Kunna ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cervical cancer is considered as the third most leading cause of death among female worldwide with most of the deaths were found to occur in the developing countries. Several etiological agents were studied however Human papilloma virus (HPV) is identified as the most common etiological agent that involved in the induction of cervical cancer. The aim of our current study was to assess the Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward cervical cancer prevention among women in Khartoum state, Sudan. Methods this is a descriptive cross-sectional community-based study. An electronic questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics like frequency, mean and percentage were computed using SPSS version 20.0 software program. Results About 716 females in age between 18 and 74 years old with a mean age 27.58 years (STD 8.74 years) have enrolled in this study. 93.7 of them are educated at university level or higher. Although that 580 (81.0%) of our study participants have heard about cervical cancer only 29 (4.1%) were vaccinated against HPV as a preventive measure against the disease. Conclusion We highly recommended conducting health education sessions for both the Obstetrician and females in reproductive age regarding the benefit of the Pap test in the early detection of the cervical intraepithelial lesions and malignancy as well as HPV vaccination should be introduced in the local healthcare facilities


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Obročníková ◽  
Ľudmila Majerníková

AbstractAim. Cervical cancer is the most common genital malignancy and one of the leading causes of death among female population in Slovakia. At present, this location of cancer is preventable disease visible in screening for premalignant lesions if the women use and participate in such screening regularly. We assessed the knowledge on the cervical cancer screening, the attitude towards it and its utilization among women in Slovakia.Material and methods. A cross-sectional study evaluated the knowledge, attitude and practice of cervical cancer prevention and screening among women. The sample was composed of 239 women aged 18-64 years. Data collection was conducted by selfadministered questionnaire in a period from January to April 2015.Results. Respondents exhibited an average knowledge of cervical cancer, about risk factors and early signs, but awareness of cervical cancer screening was satisfactory. Despite the fact that respondents expressed good attitude to cervical cancer screening, their level of practice was low (64% participation in preventative gynaecology check-ups and 43% in Pap smear tests within one year and 44% within three years). In the study we could observe better results in women with higher education when it comes to an illness (p < .001), its prevention (p < .001) and risk behaviour (p < .001).Conclusions. The awareness of cervical cancer among women in Slovakia is limited. In the future there is a need to educate and promote awareness of cervical cancer among women to reduce the burden of morbidity and mortality.


Curationis ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Davhana-Maselesele ◽  
L.L. Lalendle ◽  
U. Useh

The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to HIV and AIDS among teenagers in rural schools in Vhembe district. This study focused on teenagers’ sources of knowledge about HIV/AIDS; their knowledge of how to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS; their knowledge of the methods of transmission of the disease; their knowledge of condoms and usage levels; and people with whom they are comfortable to talk about HIV/AIDS. This was a quantitative descriptive research design where a random sample of 128 participants between the ages of 14 and 19 years was selected. The participants were in grades 8 to 12. The study recommended that holistic HIV/AIDS preventive programmes which were culture and gender sensitive be developed. Custodians of culture should be involved in dealing with HIV/AIDS. Parents should also play their role in discussing HIV/AIDS with their children in a non-threatening environment.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Manoj Mahajan ◽  
Navami Naik ◽  
Kirti Jain ◽  
Nilesh Patira ◽  
Sangita Prasad ◽  
...  

PURPOSE In recognition of the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, we assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of rural women in low-resourced countries toward common NCDs and the barriers they face in receiving NCD early detection services. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study was conducted in a rural block of India using the Rapid Assessment and Response Evaluation ethnographic assessment, which included in-depth interviews of key health officials; focus group discussions with women, men, teachers, and health workers from the block; and a knowledge, attitudes, and practices questionnaire survey. The home-based survey was conducted among 1,192 women selected from 50 villages of the block using a two-stage randomization process and stratified to 30- to 44-year and 45- to 60-year age-groups. RESULTS Our study revealed low awareness among women with regard to tobacco as a risk factor; hypertension, diabetes, and cancer as major health threats; and the importance of their early detection. Only 4.8% of women reported to have ever consumed tobacco, and many others consumed smokeless tobacco without knowing that the preparations contained tobacco. Only 27.3% and 11.5% of women had any knowledge about breast and cervical cancer, respectively, and only a few could describe at least one common symptom of either cancer. Self-reported diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes was significantly lower than the reported national prevalence. Only 0.9% and 1.3% of women reported having had a breast examination or gynecologic checkup, respectively, in the past 5 years. Low female empowerment and misconceptions were major barriers. CONCLUSION Barriers need to be addressed to improve uptake of NCD early detection services.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 13s-13s
Author(s):  
Mauricio Maza ◽  
Mario Melendez ◽  
Miriam Cremer ◽  
Rachel Masch ◽  
Todd Alonzo ◽  
...  

Abstract 29 Purpose In high-income countries, human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling has been demonstrated to increase adherence to cervical cancer prevention initiatives in underscreened women. El Salvador recently completed the Cervical Cancer Prevention in El Salvador (CAPE) program using a high-risk HPV test as the screening method. Although successful, 12% of targeted women did not attend their screening appointments. HPV self-sampling may offer the opportunity to reach these nonattending women. In the current study, we evaluated HPV self-sampling as a way to increase screening among CAPE nonattenders and to report factors that impact self-sampling acceptability in a low- to middle-income country. Methods Nonattending and underscreened women age 30 to 59 years from the Paracentral region of El Salvador were invited to participate (N = 2,019). Women were visited at home and offered self-sampling with an HPV test. Women who provided consent also received a series of questionnaires to collect demographic and test acceptability data. After tests were analyzed, women were provided with results during another home visit. HPV-positive women were asked to make an appointment at a local clinic to undergo colposcopy, biopsy, and, if eligible, cryotherapy treatment. Women with contraindications for cryotherapy were referred to appropriate treatment or follow-up. Results Of 1,989 eligible women, 94% accepted the HPV self-sampled test. Of these, 11.8% (n = 221) tested positive. All but 13 women attended the colposcopy appointment, and 190 women received cryotherapy. Biopsy results revealed low-grade precancer in 6.3% of women, whereas 12.6% received diagnoses of high-grade precancer. Reasons for not attending the original CAPE appointment included logistic concerns, but also discomfort with male providers, confidentiality fears, and misconceptions regarding HPV, cervical cancer, and the screening procedure. Conclusion HPV self-sampling was shown to be overwhelmingly acceptable to nonattending and underscreened rural women in El Salvador. This method may be a feasible alternative that circumvents barriers to cervical cancer screening in low- to middle-income countries. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No COIs from the authors


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