Perspective of females from a rural community in India toward the knowledge, screening, and treatment of breast and cervical cancer and preventive vaccination.

PURPOSE

The success of a preventive oncology program depends upon the general population's awareness of the disease, its magnitude, and the screening and prevention process. Our study aimed to analyze the situational awareness of a rural community population toward the most common cancers in females.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study in the rural Indian community of Uttarakhand, recruiting 589 participants from Pauri Garhwal. We developed a questionnaire comprising sociodemographic information, knowledge of the disease, early detection, and the attitude toward breast and cervical cancer treatment. We also registered the participant's knowledge and enthusiasm toward vaccination against cervical cancer. Local non-governmental organization (Uttarakhand Manav Seva Samiti, Delhi) collaborated to conduct door-to-door interviews.

RESULTS

Among the participants, 38% and 79% had never heard about breast and cervical cancer, respectively. A limited understanding of various signs and symptoms of breast cancer varying from 14% to 50% was noted. Only 36.1% (132) and 11.5% (42) of the participants had heard about breast cancer and were aware of breast examination and mammography, including its utility in diagnosing early breast cancer. Similarly, the knowledge about various signs and symptoms of cervical cancer varied from 11 to 55% among the participants. Only 6.5% of them have heard about preventive vaccination. Encouraging results of the study were that nearly 57% and 56% of the participants expressed eagerness to participate in cancer screening programs. Participants who were Younger (< 40 years) and had more years of education had significantly higher levels of knowledge about and positive attitudes toward breast and cervical cancers.

CONCLUSION

A grim lack of awareness in the rural community has been observed regarding breast and cervical cancers and preventive vaccination. Strengthening educational activities in the rural community against these cancers seems to be an indispensable step toward a preventive oncology program.