Abstract 3476: Factors related to cervical cancer screening differences between regions around Bagamoyo, Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract Background: With cervical cancer being among the most common cancers in East Africa among women, it is important to look at the factors related to referral differences in Tanzania, especially in rural areas where there is little to no access to cervical cancer screening clinics (CCS). Cervical cancer is related to HIV because a woman is 13.3 times more likely to develop cervical abnormalities if she is HIV positive. There are more HIV-positive women that attend CCS than HIV-negative women. This leads to more research to discover the variation in screening rates between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients within the same village, as well as the variation in the screening rates between different villages. Purpose: This study aims to determine the multi-level factors related to differences in cervical cancer screening frequencies between villages in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, and providers’ perception of barriers to screening at the Bagamoyo District Hospital (BDH). Factors identified that influence CCS attendance are HIV prevalence, distance to BDH, number of clinics, and female population. Methods/Design: This mixed method design includes data obtained from the Tanzania Ministry of Health, the Bagamoyo District Medical Officer, and BDH medical records, as well as additional data from questionnaires conducted with health care providers, doctors or nurses, employed at BDH. The questionnaires included written informed consent. Data obtained from CCS medical records were used to estimate the frequency of women screened from 42 villages. ANOVA analysis was used to compare the percent of women screened from each village to the identified risk factors, HIV prevalence, distance, access to clinics, and population. Chi-square analysis was conducted in order to determine associations between type of health care provider and previously identified barriers to screening. Discussion: This is the first study to examine providers’ perceived barriers to screening in relation to previously identified factors related to differences in cervical cancer screening rates. Further analysis of patient perceived barriers to screening should be conducted in order to better understand differences in screening rates. Funding: Funding was received from the National Cancer Institute through the Cancer Epidemiology Education in Special Populations program. Citation Format: Brianna Rooney, Autumn Cummings, Amr Soliman, Crispin Kahesa. Factors related to cervical cancer screening differences between regions around Bagamoyo, Tanzania. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3476.