Journal of Integrative Oncology

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Cervical Cancer Screening Among Female Health Workers in a Tertiary Health Facility in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

Babafemi Charles Daniyan, Kenneth Chinedu Ekwedigwe, Emmanuel Yakubu, SU Mbamara, IC Amamilo and Ileogben Sunday-Adeoye

Background: Cervical cancer is the commonest gynecologic cancer in the developing world. Screening remains the cornerstone of prevention. The study sought to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of cervical cancer screening among female health workers in a tertiary health facility.
Methods: It was a cross-sectional study carried out among forty female health workers at the National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki. Data was collected from the subjects using self-administered questionnaires. The frequencies and proportions of the responses were calculated and entered on a Likert Scale of 1 to 5. The range, median and mean of the variables were also determined. Values ranging from 1-2 points were considered low, 3 was considered average while those from 4-5 points were considered high.
Results: A total of 40 respondents completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 35.5 years. The mean of the knowledge of the respondents about cervical cancer screening was between 4.55 and 4.68 on a Likert Scale of 1-5. The mean of the attitudes of the respondents about cervical cancer screening was between 4.39 and 4.81 on a Likert Scale of 1-5. The practice of cervical cancer screening was found to be 2.89 on a Likert Scale of 1-5.
Conclusion: While the knowledge and attitudes of the female health workers about cervical cancer screening were good, the practice was found to be poor in this study.