title: Qualitative study of barriers to cervical cancer screening among Nigerian women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the barriers to cervical cancer screening, focusing on religious and cultural factors, in order to inform group-specific interventions that may improve uptake of cervical cancer screening programmes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted four focus group discussions among Muslim and Christian women in Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Discussions were conducted in two hospitals, one in the South West and the other in the North Central region of Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  27 Christian and 22 Muslim women over the age of 18, with no diagnosis of cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most participants in the focus group discussions had heard about cervical cancer except Muslim women in the South Western region who had never heard about cervical cancer. Participants believed that wizardry, multiple sexual partners and inserting herbs into the vagina cause cervical cancer. Only one participant knew about the human papillomavirus. Among the Christian women, the majority of respondents had heard about cervical cancer screening and believed that it could be used to prevent cervical cancer. Participants mentioned religious and cultural obligations of modesty, gender of healthcare providers, fear of disclosure of results, fear of nosocomial infections, lack of awareness, discrimination at hospitals, and need for spousal approval as barriers to uptake of screening. These barriers varied by religion across the geographical regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Barriers to cervical cancer screening vary by religious affiliations. Interventions to increase cervical cancer awareness and screening uptake in multicultural and multireligious communities need to take into consideration the varying cultural and religious beliefs in order to design and implement effective cervical cancer screening intervention programmes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, National Hospital Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Isa Modibbo
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Nigeria Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dareng
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Services, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Patience
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bamisaye
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Nigeria Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Elima
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jedy-Agba
authors.affiliation: Mother and Child Hospital, Ondo, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ayodele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adewole
authors.affiliation: Mother and Child Hospital, Ondo, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Lawal
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oyeneyin
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Nigeria Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Olayinka
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Olaniyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Institute of Human Virology and Greenebaum Cancer Centre, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Clement
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adebamowo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002835:Christianity; D003469:Culture; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009549:Nigeria; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D010551:Personality; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012649:Self Concept; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology
keywords: PUBLIC HEALTH; QUALITATIVE RESEARCH