Abstract: The most common gynecological malignancy is the Cancer of the cervix and it is the second most frequent cancer in women worldwide. Cancer of the cervix is one of the commonest gynecological cancers in Sri Lanka. Cervical cancer is highly preventable and curable disease when detected and treated early in its precancerous stage. The study aimed to assess the knowledge and barriers of cervical cancer screening among women in selected Public Health Midwives areas. A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted for one year among 380 women aged between 20 and 60 years old. After obtaining written consent, data were collected using a pre tested interviewer administered questionnaire. Frequencies, percentage and associations were calculated. Only 103 (27.1%) of the respondents were aware that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the implicating agent in the etiology of Cervical Cancer and 124 (32.6%) of the respondents were aware of the vaccine used for preventing Cervical Cancer. Regarding the knowledge on Cervical Cancer screening only 3.2% of participants scored adequate knowledge. There was a significant portion of women (87.1%) had never done any cervical cancer screening test. The knowledge on cervical cancer and its screening methods were poor among the participants especially among women who had lower educational status and were in rural area. And also the attendance for pap smear test is very poor in selected PHM areas. There is an imperative need for related awareness programs to promote the uptake of cervical cancer screening tests.
Keywords: Cervical cancer, Pap-smear test, Knowledge, Barriers, Screening.
Title: Awareness on Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women in Selected Public Health Midwife Areas in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Author: Abiramy P, Sihnas F, Hettigedara P, Galappaththi R, Arulpragasam AN, Josepha J
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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