Determinants of cervical cancer screening uptake among female staff in a multicampus university in South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

Background- Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women in developing countries despite the  availability of screening tests that could detect pre-cancerous conditions. The aim was to assess the respondents' level of knowledge and  attitude towards cervical cancer screening as well as to identify factors predictive of screening uptake. Methodology- A cross-sectional survey of 150 female staff of Osun State University, South Western Nigeria selected across campuses by  multi-stage sampling. Data was collected with the aid of semistructured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential  statistics. Results- The mean age for the respondents was 34.7 (±8.32) years. Majority (80%) of the respondents were aware of cancer of the cervix  but only 40% had good knowledge of the disease. About 77.5% of the respondents had a good attitude towards its screening. Only 21 (%)  had ever done cervical cancer screening. Factors associated with cervical cancer screening uptake include age, income, level of education,  staff category, respondents' belief on general availability of cervical screening, attitude, having known a person with cervical  cancer, having had information through counseling on cervical cancer as well as respondents' knowledge of cervical cancer. The latter  two are predictive of screening uptake. Respondents with good knowledge were about four times likely to have had cervical cancer  screening compared with respondents with poor knowledge. Conclusion- Majority of the respondents had poor knowledge of cervical  cancer but good attitude towards its screening. Identifiable determinants of cervical cancer screening uptake were knowledgebased, thus continuous enlightenment of women of all age-groups becomes imperative.