Abstract
BackgroundCervical cancer is a significant public health issue in Xinjiang China. In order to provide scientific basis for cervical cancer intervention in Xinjiang, women’s knowledge of cervical cancer was investigated in this study. Besides, relations between Uyghur women’s awareness and their age, educational background, yearly household were evaluated.MethodsQuestionnaire survey was conducted to 7100 Uyghur women from Karkax Hotan and Payzivat Kashgar during 2008 and 2009. Women aged 21 to 70 years, had sexual activity, no history of cervical lesion or cervical cancer were considered to be eligible to the study. Information include participants’ socio-demographic background, personal data, awareness about Pap smear, about cervical cancer and HPV, sources of information acquisition was investigated.Results65.1% of the 7100 respondents with primary education level, and 95.0% participants were farmers. Only 7.4% had undertaken Pap smears before, not aware of the importance of the test (97.4% of 7100) was the main reason for not performing Pap smears. 29.3% of total participants had heard about cervical cancer, and only 0.14% (10 out of 7100) had heard about HPV. Top three route of knowledge acquire were television advertises (39.1%), neighbors (21.0%) and health care providers (15.0%). Women younger than 40 years, with higher educational levels and higher income had better awareness of cervical cancer and more willing to accept regular Pap smears.ConclusionsUyghur women in Xinjiang had poor knowledge of cervical cancer and HPV infection. Low awareness of women was associated with less household income and lower educational levels. TV shows and education from health care providers may increase women’s participation in cervical cancer control and prevention.
Highlights
Cervical cancer is a significant public health issue in Xinjiang China
Knowledge and attitudes toward pap smears Among the 7100 participants, 97.4% did not know the importance of regular Pap smears
Only 7 women had heard about HPV, and only 3 knew that HPV was the cause of cervical cancer. These results show the grave lack of knowledge among Uyghur women regarding cervical cancer, and this lack of knowledge is associated with the high cervical cancer incidence and mortality in this population
Summary
Cervical cancer is a significant public health issue in Xinjiang China. In order to provide scientific basis for cervical cancer intervention in Xinjiang, women’s knowledge of cervical cancer was investigated in this study. During the past 4 decades, cervical cancer incidence and mortality have declined significantly, primarily in western countries, because of the widespread use of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test to screen for cervical abnormalities. The rate of decline in cervical cancer incidence and mortality. China is one of the Asian countries with high cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates. Over the past 30 years, cervical cancer incidence and mortality have decreased steadily in China due to the development of the Pap test and the implementation of screening programs [6]. In some remote and poverty-stricken areas, including the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, cervical cancer incidence and mortality remain high [7,8,9]
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