The Knowledge and Acceptablity of Cervical Cancer Screening amoung Female Students in University for Development Studies (Uds) Tamale Campus-Dungu

Abstract

Adequate knowledge of cervical cancer and the patronage of available screening services in developed countries resulted in a drastic reduction in the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease.  In Ghana, cervical cancer is the leading cause of gynaecological cancer-related deaths and this calls for early detection and treatment of the premalignant lesions. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and acceptability of cervical cancer screening practices among female students.  This was a cross-sectional descriptive study among female students in the Tamale campus of the UDS. Data was collected randomly using self-administered structured questionnaires.  The analysis was done using SPSS Software. Statistical associations between variables were determined by Fisher’s exact test.  A total of 300 students were interviewed with a mean age of 23.0 (SD ±2.4). Majority of the students were aware of cervical cancer 262 (87.3%, P<0.001), with the electronic media as the main source (37.7%). Many of the respondents identified the major risk factors of cervical cancer as multiple sexual partners (80.0%, P<0.001), HPV Infection (75.0%, P<0.001) and immunosuppression (71.0%,P<0.001). The great majority of the study population have never been screened for precancerous cervical lesions (91.3%, P<0.001).  The reasons for the poor patronage of the screening services were lack of screening centres, the distant location of centres and the high cost of screening. The majority (77.7%, P<0.001) of the participants were willing to undergo screening in the future. The study revealed a high level of cervical cancer awareness among respondents, but low patronage of the available screening services. The majority were, however, willing to undergo the screening if the service is made accessible and affordable.