title: Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding cervical cancer and screening among women visiting primary health care in Qatar.
abstract: There are no data on the knowledge, attitude and practices of Qatari women about this cancer. Therefore this cross-sectional interview-based study was conducted in 2008 among 500 women at 5 randomly selected primary health care centres in Qatar to determine their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding cervical cancer and screening. Just over 85% had heard of cervical cancer and 76% had heard about the Pap smear. Knowledge of cervical cancer was significantly greater among women aged 30-49 years, and those employed, married for > 15 years, with a university degree, or who had had 4 births or 3 miscarriages. Almost 40% had had a Pap smear test at least once and 85.5% of the rest would have a test if they were told that the procedure was painless and simple. Over half wanted the test to be done in the well-woman clinic at the primary health care centre. Knowledge and practice as inadequate among those under 30 years old, those recently married and those with a lower education level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family MedicineHamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. drfathiya@yahoo.com
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Al-Meer
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Aseel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Al-Khalaf
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Al-Kuwari
authors.forename: M F S
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ismail
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011780:Qatar; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult