Knowledge of cervical cancer screening and associated factors among women attending maternal health services at Aira Hospital, West Wollega, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the major noncommunicable public health problems among women globally. About 500,000 women develop cervical cancer each year, with an estimated 85% or more occurring in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer screening and its associated factors among women attending maternal health services at Aira hospital, West Wollega, Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 421 reproductive-age women. A systematic sampling method was used for the study. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and the statistical association between the outcome variable and the explanatory variables tested by the binary logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control confounding factors, the magnitude of the association between the different independent and dependent variable was measured using 95% confidence interval, and p values below 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: A total of 421 women were responded with 100% response rate and with the mean age of 26.0 ± 5.15 (M ± SD) years. About 95.0% of the respondents ever heard of cervical cancer and 46.8% of the respondents had good knowledge about cervical cancer screening. Age, occupation, educational level, and monthly income were predictors associated with knowledge about cervical cancer screening. Conclusion: The study revealed 46.8% of study participants had knowledge about cervical cancer screening. The age of the participant, occupation, level of education, and monthly income were determinants of knowledge about cervical cancer screening. Prevention programs should focus on cervical cancer screening according to identified factors in the study.