Awareness and Attitudes towards Cervical Cancer Screening with Paps Smear and Its Utilization among Female Undergraduates in Makurdi, North Central Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The awareness of cervical cancer, Papanicolaou’s smear and its utilization is of great importance especially in our environment where cervical cancer is the number one cancer affecting women. This study was aimed at investigating the risk factors and awareness of cervical cancer screening with Papanicolaou’s (Pap) smear and its utilization among female undergraduates. Materials and Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted among 397 female undergraduates of the Benue State University, Makurdi between May and June 2016. Results: One hundred and eighty-six (49.6%) of the respondents were sexually active and ninety-six (51.6%) of the sexually active respondents had been exposed before the age of 20 years. Their ages for sexual debut ranged from 13 to 25 years. Their mean age at sexual debut was 18.3 (±2.3) while the modal age was 19 years. Fifty-one (27.4%) of the sexually active students had multiple sexual partners, sixty-three (33.9%) had been pregnant at one time or the other, and only 32 (17.2%) of these sexually active students were using condom during intercourse. Two hundred and eighty-six (72.0%) were aware of cervical cancer. There was a fair level (55.7%) of awareness of cervical cancer as a preventable cancer but there was poor knowledge of individual preventive methods. Only 26.2% were aware of Pap smear and worse still, only 3.3% of them had ever done the test. The main source of awareness was through the mass media. Conclusion: This study showed that there was good knowledge of cervical cancer among respondent but there was poor knowledge of Pap smear and its utilization. It is therefore important that concerted efforts be made to educate students at the university about cervical cancer and its prevention methods.