A home-based educational intervention for cervical cancer screening services in rural Uganda

Abstract

Background/Aims Despite the relative ease of prevention, the incidence of cervical cancer in Uganda is increasing and there is low uptake of screening services. One of the main contributing factors to low uptake is a lack of awareness. Targeting this barrier may help increase uptake and reduce the burden of cervical cancer. This study evaluated the effect of an educational intervention on knowledge, perception, intent to use and use of cervical cancer screening among women in rural southwestern Uganda. Methods This pre-test, post-test study was conducted with 150 women from a village in southwest Uganda, selected for its low uptake of cervical screening services. The home-based educational intervention consisted of a lecture and a discussion on cervical cancer and screening services. Data on women's knowledge, perceptions and use of screening services were captured at baseline and 7 weeks after the intervention, using a questionnaire. Chi-squared tests and paired sample t-tests were used to assess differences in participants' knowledge, perception and use of screening services. Results At baseline, participants had low scores for awareness, attitude and use of cervical screening. The intervention significantly improved knowledge (P<0.001), perception (P<0.001) and screening rate (P<0.001). Some participants' unwillingness to screen after the intervention was associated with marital status or religion. Conclusions The home-based health education intervention was effective in improving knowledge and perception of cervical cancer, and use of screening services. Use of this education intervention in rural regions of Uganda could be an effective strategy to increase use of screening services and thus improve early detection and prevention of cervical cancer.