A survey of knowledge, attitude, and practice of cervical screening among Lebanese/Armenian women

Abstract

A 1995 KAP survey of 290 female members of the Armenian Relief Cross in Lebanon revealed strong associations between educational level and Papanicolaou cervical cancer screening. 70% of respondents were over 41 years of age; 37.7% had a secondary school education or higher and 92% rated their economic status as average or above average. Both educational level and economic status were positively associated with knowledge about the purpose of the Pap smear. Among the 174 respondents who were aware of the Pap test the percentage who wanted to undergo screening increased significantly with educational level but was unaffected by economic status. A significantly higher number of women with poor and average perceived economic status compared with good or very good status cited embarrassment and cost as obstacles to seeking screening. 62.4% of respondents had actually received a Pap smear. Practice was significantly associated with educational level but not economic status. Overall 88.4% of women with very good levels of knowledge and a favorable attitude toward screening scored above average on the practice index while 87.2% of women with poor levels of knowledge and attitude had poor practice scores. Among women with average levels of knowledge and attitude 64.2% had poor practice scores 24.7% had average scores and 11.1% had very good scores. Since poor women with low levels of formal education are at increased risk of cervical cancer health education campaigns targeted at this group are recommended to promote awareness and uptake of Pap screening.