Knowledge Regarding Cervical Cancer Screening Among Medical and Non-Medical Undergraduates in Peshawar, Pakistan: A Step towards Preventive Healthcare

Abstract

A major global health concern, cervical cancer primarily affects younger women and those living in less developed areas. Comprehending students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices around cervical cancer screening is essential for future leadership roles in healthcare. Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding cervical cancer screening among undergraduate medical and non-medical students in Peshawar, Pakistan. Methods: A comparative observational cross-sectional study was conducted which lasted eight months. To accomplish a sample size of 474 through non-probability convenient sampling technique was used among undergraduate medical and non-medical students’ population from Peshawar. A standardized questionnaire was used for data collection and SPSS version 26.0 was used for data analysis. Results: Among the participants, 62.9% acknowledged the significance of cervical screening in the early detection of lesions and 83.1% correctly identified HPV as the principal cause of cervical cancer. There was a general consensus toward early HPV screening (80.4%), and HPV vaccination (80.6%). However, there were clear differences in practice, 14.1% of participants reported smoking, 18.6% reported having pap smears, and 17.9% reported having had the HPV vaccine. Conclusions: The medical students were more knowledgeable about cervical cancer screening as compared to the non-medical. It was also concluded that even though the participants didn’t participate in many preventive measures, most participants had positive attitudes towards early diagnosis, screening and HPV vaccination