Exploring the Impact of Individual Factors in Taking Cervical Cancer Screening: A Content Analysis

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in\rdeveloping country. In Iraqi Kurdistan Region, few women undergo screening and the incidence\rof cervical cancer is on the increase as is the case in most developing countries. The purpose of\rthis study was to explore women’s individual factors affecting the performance of the cervical\rcancer screening in Kurdistan Region, Iraq.\rMethods: The present study adopted a qualitative design based on conventional content analysis\rapproach. Purposive sampling was used to select 22 women who had either had a Pap-Smear or\rrefused to have one. Semi structured in depth interviews were conducted with each individual to\rcollect data. Data were collected from August 7, 2015 to July 22, 2016. The criteria for including\rsamples for this study were aS follows: 1) Married Kurdish women who are living in Kurdistan\rRegion, Iraq, 2) Willingness to participate in the study, and 3) Not undergone cervical cancer\rscreening. Non Iraqi Kurdish women were excluded. Each interview lasted for 42-70 minutes\ron average. In order to analyze the collected data, the obtained purified codes were compared\rand simultaneously clustered and classified under certain themes using their similarities and\rdifferences.\rResults: Seven main themes including age, educational level, having multiple full-pregnancies,\rexistence of signs and symptoms of cervical cancer, psychological factors, poverty, and marital\rstatus emerged during the data analysis.\rConclusion: The findings of this study indicated that individual factors can prevent women from\rcervical cancer screening in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Understanding these factors may lead to the\rdevelopment of effective programs and policies to improve cervical cancer screening uptake by\rKurdish women.