Factors Associated with Intention to Utilize Cervical Cancer Prevention Strategies among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer among women in Nigeria, with one-third of all cases occurring during the reproductive period. However, different barriers, including the unaffordability of vaccines and ineffective screening programs, delay preventive measures. Hence, the need to adequately tackle those barriers to improve uptake. Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, the descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted to gather data from 344 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in three hospitals in Ibadan. Data collected were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 20.0. Frequency distribution tables, mean, figures, and multinomial logistics regression were used to summarize and present the data. Most Pregnant women, 34.3%, were aged between 25-29 years, with 35.8.% of them having poor knowledge of HPV, while 61.1% had poor knowledge of cervical cancer. Also, 43.3% of the participants had never heard of HPV. In addition, 47.7% of respondents stated that distance to a health facility could hinder their utilization of cervical cancer prevention strategies. The multinomial logistic regression showed a significant association between awareness of HPV Vaccination and plan for HPV vaccination aOR 0.32 CI (0.14 – 0.76), and plan for cervical cancer screening aOR 0.24 CI (0.11 – 0.53) respectively. It is crucial to correct the negative perception and attitude towards cervical cancer and its preventive measures to help to increase its adoption.