title: Cervical cancer awareness and cervical screening uptake at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Afikpo, Southeast Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical cancer is the most common genital tract malignancy among women in developing countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the awareness of cervical cancer among Igbo women in a rural population of Southeastern Nigerian and determine their uptake of cervical screening services.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire-based descriptive cross-sectional study. Structured questionnaires were administered to female attendees to the antenatal and gynecological clinics of a secondary hospital in the outskirts of Afikpo, Southeast Nigeria over a six-month period (1 st July to 31 st December 2007). Data analysis was by SPSS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five hundred questionnaires were given out. Three hundred and sixty were correctly filled (72%) and analyzed. The mean age of respondents was 36.2 years, 25.0% had tertiary education and 40.3% were self employed. All the respondents were sexually active. There were high incidences of premarital sex, multiple sexual partners and abnormal vaginal discharge and low condom use. Awareness of cervical cancer (37.5%), its preventable nature (31.9%), cervical screening (25%) and screening centers (20.8%) were generally low and screening uptake (0.6%) was abysmally low. Lack of awareness, non-availability of screening centers locally, cost and time were the main reasons adduced by respondents for not being screened. Overall, 62.5% of all the respondents indicated willingness to be screened.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The exposure to conditions that predispose women to cervical cancer was high, and the levels of awareness of cervical cancer and cervical screening uptake were low. Continued awareness creation, local provision of cheap and affordable services and poverty alleviation are needed to improve cervical screening uptake with the hope of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in the long term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Justus N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Eze
authors.forename: Odidika U
authors.initials: OU
authors.lastname: Umeora
authors.forename: Johnson A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Obuna
authors.forename: Vincent E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Egwuatu
authors.forename: Brown N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Ejikeme
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D010465:Perception; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult