Abstract
BackgroundCervical cancer in Saudi Arabia is ranked as the third most frequent gynecological cancer among women. The Pap smear test is a screening test that can be used as a primary prevention tool for cervical cancer, and prophylactic vaccination against HPV is also considered to be a factor in decreasing the prevalence of the disease. This study aimed to assess women’s beliefs about cervical cancer and the Pap smear test. In addition, the relationship between cervical cancer and the social and demographic characteristics was also evaluated.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was performed among Saudi women living in Riyadh in 2018. Women were randomly selected, and the total sample size was 450. A predesigned self-administered questionnaire that included the Health Belief Model scale was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0. P values < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant in this study.ResultsAmong the 450 participants, the Pap smear test uptake was 26% and the HPV vaccine uptake was less than 1%. A low education level and family history for cervical cancer were significantly associated with the belief of high susceptibility for developing cervical cancer (p < 0.05). The seriousness of the disease was recognized by 38%, and the benefit of screening was recognized by 82% of the participants. In addition, 27% of the participants perceived barriers to obtaining a Pap smear test.ConclusionsThis study showed a high level of perception regarding benefits and motivation, and a low incidence of perceived barriers among women regarding cervical cancer screening. However, these attitudinal aspects did not translate into practice, as reflected by the low uptake of the screening test. Our findings imply that concerted efforts are needed to promote cervical cancer screening programs in Saudi Arabia. In view of the planned implementation of Saudi vision 2030, which emphasizes on prevention, we recommend launching a national cervical cancer screening program, to be available and accessible to all women in primary health care centers and hospitals.
Highlights
Cervical cancer in Saudi Arabia is ranked as the third most frequent gynecological cancer among women
This study focused on assessing health beliefs regarding cervical cancer and the Pap smear test among Saudi women living in Riyadh, and evaluated the association
The present study showed a low uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Saudi Arabia among women (1%); this uptake rate was significantly lower than that reported from other countries such as the United Kingdom [34], United States of America (USA) [35], Malaysia (77.0%) [36], and Egypt (19.9%) [19]
Summary
Cervical cancer in Saudi Arabia is ranked as the third most frequent gynecological cancer among women. It is the fourth most common cancer among women globally. The estimated number of cervical cancer cases in the world is 528,000 per year. This cancer type is considered to be the second most common cancer in developing countries with over 400,000 cases reported yearly. Cervical cancer is the third cause of cancer-related death in developing countries (230,158 deaths per year) [1]. This means that 80% or more of the global burden of cervical cancer occurs in developing countries [2]. The explanation behind the higher mortality of cervical cancer in developing countries is that in these countries, the spending on cancer prevention programs is only approximately 5% of that spent by developed countries worldwide [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
