Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions Influencing Cervical Cancer Screening among Women in Kitwe District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia

Abstract

Background: Cervical Cancer is one such a disease that remains with high mortality unless prevented or detected early and managed. It is one of the most common cancers of the child bearing age between 20 and 45 years world over. It is rated as the second most prevalent cancer among women. There is high consensus among various scholars that high quality screening, effective treatment and routine follow-up care are cardinal in helping women. The main objective of the study was to identify the factors influencing cervical cancer screening in Kitwe District, Zambia. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study design was employed that included the use of a researcher-administered questionnaire. Simple random sampling was used to sample 210 participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 and chi-square test was used to determine associations among variables. Binary logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Statistical significance was set at p Results: The age of the women enrolled in the study ranged from 20 to 59 years, with a mean age of 30.4 years (SD: 8.36). Majority (46.2%) of the women were aged between 25 to 34 years and the mean age reported for sexual debut among respondents was 19.7 (SD: 4.01) years ranging from 12 to 31 years at first sexual encounter. Almost all (99%) the women were Christians and 42.9% had attained secondary school education. Fifty nine (59%) of the respondents were married and 77.6% had children. Over three quarters (77.6%) of the respondents were knowledgeable on cervical cancer and screening, majority (61%) of the respondents demonstrated a more positive attitude towards cervical cancer screening, and the overall perception level among study respondents was more positive (71.9%). The findings of the present study indicated that the magnitude of cervical cancer screening was 44.8%. In the binary logistic regression analysis, older age (35 to 44 years: AOR = 10.91, 95% CI: 2.67 - 44.48, p = 0.001; 45 to 59 years: AOR = 10.28, 95% CI: 1.52 - 69.68, p = 0.017, respectively), and having a positive attitude (AOR = 67.5, 95% CI: 15.42 - 295.44, p Conclusion: The study has shown that despite women having adequate knowledge, positive attitudes and perceptions, the number of women who had been screened was still low. However, middle aged and older women, and positive attitudes were found to independently influence women to go for cervical cancer screening. Therefore, attempts should be made to reach women who rarely visit health care services, for example, through increasing health campaigns in partnership with other organizations in the area.