Awareness and uptake of papanicoloau smear screening among students of a higher institution in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: In Nigeria Cancer of the Cervix (CA cervix) is the commonest gynecological malignancy and second commonest cancer in the country after breast cancer.

Methodology: It was a cross sectional study in which self-administered questionnaires were filled and returned by 457 respondents who were all undergraduate students of University of Jos. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 statistical software and the result was presented in simple percentages.

Result: There were 457 respondents, most (60.6%, 27.1%) were within the ages of 21-25 years and < 20 years respectively, about one-third of respondents (31.5%) were sexually active of which 48.6% had history of multiple sex partners. Awareness of Ca cervix is 80.7% and source of information was predominantly media (53.1%) and friends (26.3%). 44.2% had appropriate knowledge of causes/risk factors of the disease. 36.2% were aware of cervical cancer screening but only 29.3%  heard of papanicolaou test while just 2.4% of the respondents had ever been screened though 66.1%  were willing to be screened.

Conclusion: Though the level of awareness of the existence of the disease entity was high, the awareness of the risk factors/ causes of the disease and the cervical screening method was low, the uptake of the screening was also low (2.4%) even though a good proportion of the respondents were willing to be screened.

Keywords: Cervical Cancer, Papanicolaou Smear, Awareness, Uptake, Undergraduate Students.