Cervical cancer screening practices of antenatal clinic attendees in Garki Hospital Abuja, Nigeria

Background: Cervical cancer, a preventable disease, is the fourth most frequent cancer in women worldwide is a major public health problem especially in developing countries. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer and practice of cervical cancer screening among antenatal clinic attendees in Garki Hospital Abuja, Nigeria.  Methods: Two hundred and fifteen antenatal clinic attendees selected using systemic sampling techniques participated in this facility-based cross-sectional study. Data was collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS version 22.0. Statistical level of significance was set at p < 0.05.  Results: One hundred and twenty-two (57.0%) of the respondents were aged 30 – 39 years, 191 (89.3%) were married, 202 (94.4%) had tertiary level of education while 72 (33.6%) were primipara. Majority 191 (89.3%) were awareness of cervical cancer with health care workers 81 (42.4%) and mass media 72 (37.7%) as the predominant sources of information. Majority 157 (82.2%) mentioned abnormal vaginal bleeding as a symptom of cervical cancer while 28 (14.7%) do not know the symptoms of cervical cancer. Sixty-eight (35.6%) and 30 (15.7%) mentioned multiple sexual partners and early sexual exposures as risk factors for cervical cancer, respectively. Only 31 (16.2%) had screened for cervical cancer. Socio-demographic characteristics were not significantly associated with respondents’ uptake of cervical cancer screening  Conclusion: The awareness concerning cervical cancer was high but the in-depth knowledge of its symptoms and risk factors was generally poor. The uptake of cervical cancer screening was abysmally low.