Awareness and risk factors for cervical cancer among Women in Aba, south-eastern Nigeria

An assessment of women’s awareness and knowledge about cervical cancer and screening and the barriers to cervical screening in Ogun State, Nigeria.

“…The level of awareness (4.8%) is very lowwhen compared with findings from south-East, Nigeria. Awareness levels of 16% and 15.5% respectively of women in Aba and Enugu both in south-eastern Nigeria were reported for cervical cancer screening [15,21]. Another study in Owerri, also south-eastern Nigeria found a level of awareness of 52.8% [12].…”

“…Ogun and Bejide estimated the level of awareness in general female population in south west Nigeria to be 15%. [13] Low levels of awareness were also found in gwagwalada, Abuja and Aba, south eaten Nigeria [14,15]. Other studies especially among health care workers and students of higher institutions of learning showed a high level of awareness [14,16,17].Awareness among healthcare workers was high; 99% in Lagos [16].87% among female nurses in Nnewi [18] and over 65% of female workers in a tertiary health institution in Benin [19].Seventy one percent (71%) of undergraduates in Ibadan, Nigeria were aware of cervical cancer [17].…”

Effect of an educational program on awareness of cervical cancer and uptake of Pap smear among market women in Niger State, North Central Nigeria

“…Studies have shown poor knowledge about cervical cancer (Audu et al, 1999;Feyi-Waboso et al, 2005;Ayinde et al, 2006), and poor acceptance and underutilization of the screening test (Ayinde et al, 2004;Ezem, 2007;Wright et al, 2011;Hyacinth et al, 2012). A study done by Wright et al (2011) in Lagos showed that only 14.9% of a group of market women had heard of cervical cancer while another study among female health workers in Ilorin showed that only 0.3% of the respondents had ever been screened (Aboyeji et al, 2005;Wright et al, 2011).…”

Utilization of screening services for cancer of the cervix in Makurdi, Nigeria

“…Nearly 250, 000 deaths are reported every year [2]. Eighty percent of these women do not only come from countries that control only 20% of the world's cancer resources, they also present for treatment very late in which case only palliative measures can be offered to them [3,4].…”

“…Considering the public health significance and the magnitude of the disease several communities especially in the developed nations of the world adopted mass screening measures so as to prevent as well as reduce the burden of cervical cancer [4]. Some developed countries had even made it a law through their parliament making screening the right of women to live.…”