Ogwunga Chukwunonyerem C, Anyadoh-Nwadike Sylvia O, Ahumibe Nkenna C, Nwakwasi Emmanuel U
Department of Biotechnology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 460114, Imo, Nigeria.
J Community Health. 2021 Jun;46(3):509-514. doi: 10.1007/s10900-020-00892-y.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women. It is preventable if detected early. Effective screening can detect the earliest stage of premalignant form. This study was carried out to ascertain the knowledge and attitude of female students in four tertiary institutions in Imo State towards cervical cancer and its screening. Interviewee administered close-ended structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Questionnaires were validated by content and construct validity. A total of 400 female students in tertiary institutions within reproductive age; 16-45 years were recruited as respondents. Of the respondents, 398 (99.5%) completed and returned their questionnaires. These were analyzed using simple statistical methods. Results revealed that 350 (87.9%) have heard of cervical cancer while 265 (66.6%) have heard of cervical screening. Sexually active respondents were 186 (47%) meanwhile only 17 (4.3%) had undergone the screening. Most (93.5%), agreed that having multiple sexual partners was a risk factor. Most respondents (96.2%), knew that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent. The most prevalent (94%) reasons for not undertaking the screening was embarrassment followed by stigmatization 320 (80.4%). This study revealed high knowledge of cervical cancer among the students but poor attitude towards its screening. This calls for continued enlightenment for women of reproductive age including students in tertiary institutions on routine screening for cervical cancer especially as soon as they become sexually active. This will expectedly, increase the rate of early detection and subsequent treatment thereby preventing the high cost of treating and managing full-blown cervical cancer.
宫颈癌是女性中第二常见的癌症。如果早期发现，它是可预防的。有效的筛查能够检测出癌前病变的最早阶段。本研究旨在确定伊莫州四所高等院校的女学生对宫颈癌及其筛查的认知和态度。采用访谈者自行管理的封闭式结构化问卷进行数据收集。问卷通过内容效度和结构效度进行了验证。共招募了400名年龄在16 - 45岁生育年龄的高等院校女学生作为受访者。在这些受访者中，398人（99.5%）完成并返还了问卷。使用简单的统计方法对这些问卷进行了分析。结果显示，350人（87.9%）听说过宫颈癌，而265人（66.6%）听说过宫颈癌筛查。有性行为的受访者为186人（47%），而只有17人（4.3%）接受过筛查。大多数人（93.5%）认为有多个性伴侣是一个风险因素。大多数受访者（96.2%）知道人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）是致病因素。不进行筛查的最普遍原因（94%）是尴尬，其次是污名化，有320人（80.4%）。本研究表明，学生对宫颈癌的认知度较高，但对其筛查的态度较差。这就要求继续对包括高等院校学生在内的生育年龄女性进行关于宫颈癌常规筛查的宣传，特别是一旦她们开始有性行为。这有望提高早期检测率及后续治疗率，从而避免治疗和管理晚期宫颈癌的高昂费用。
