Prevalence of cervical cancer and associated factors among women attending gynecological clinic outpatient department at tumbi regional referral hospital, Tanzania

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among the women. Cervical cancer is preventable primarily through prophylactic Human papilloma virus vaccination and screening for precancerous lesion. About 85% of the case and 90% of the deaths are occurring in developing countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with cervical cancer among women attending gynecological clinic outpatient department at Tumbi Regional Referral Hospital, Tanzania. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from October 01 and December 31, 2023. A total of 246 women attending gynecological clinic were enrolled in this study. Interviews were conducted with 246 sampled women. Results: A total number of 246 women were involved in the study. Most participants (48.8) were aged 30-39 years. Only 6.5 percent screened for cervical cancer. The prevalence of cervical cancer found to be 4%. Conclusion: The prevalence of cervical cancer among women attending gynecological clinic outpatient department at tumbi regional referral hospital was comparatively low, however very few women screened for cervical cancer. There a need to scale up awareness of cervical cancer screening.