Knowledge, attitude, and practice of cervical cancer screening and its associated risk factors among family planning service users at Debre Tabor town health facilities, North Central Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The fourth most common cancer in women worldwide is cervical cancer. Over 87% of deaths from cervical cancer occur in developing nations. One of the risks of developing cervical cancer is the use of oral contraceptives. However, there is limited evidence on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of cervical cancer screening among family planning service users in Ethiopia. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward cervical cancer screening and its associated factors among family planning service users. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to February 28, 2023. A total of 816 participants were selected using a systematic sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested, structured, and interviewer-administered questionnaire. The collected data were entered into EPI Data 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 24 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) for analysis. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors. An odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and a p-value < 0.05 were used to declare statistical significance. Results: Overall, 42.5%, 36.6%, and 20.1% of the participants had good knowledge, a positive attitude, and practiced cervical cancer screening, respectively. Being single (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.39, 95% confidence intervals: 1.15–6.26), having college or university level of education (AOR = 8.03, 95% confidence intervals: 3.45–19.23), having a family history of cervical cancer (AOR = 3.14, 95% confidence intervals: 1.82–8.84), and having a source of information from the media (AOR = 1.74, 95% confidence intervals: 1.09–2.54) were significantly associated with good knowledge of cervical cancer screening. Women who were aged 15–23 years (AOR = 5.62, 95% confidence intervals: 2.76–14.56), had college- or university-level education (AOR = 3.69, 95% confidence intervals: 1.65–8.22), and had good knowledge of cervical cancer (AOR = 4.71, 95% confidence intervals: 3.08–7.55) were significantly associated with a positive attitude toward cervical cancer screening. An earlier age of first sexual intercourse (AOR = 5.0, 95% confidence intervals: 3.80–9.20) and good knowledge of cervical cancer (AOR = 1.52, 1.21–5.82) were positively associated with good practice of cervical cancer screening. Women who attended high school were negatively associated with good practice in cervical cancer screening (AOR = 0.46, 0.23–0.73). Conclusion: Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward cervical cancer screening were low. As a result, during patient visits for care delivery, healthcare providers should inform and educate patients about cervical cancer screening.