Low level of knowledge about cervical cancer among Ethiopian women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of malignancies among women in Ethiopia. Knowing the disease could empower women to make an informed decision regarding participation with cervical cancer prevention strategies. There is scarcity of compiled data in the field. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to provide an overview of knowledge about cervical cancer among Ethiopian women. Methods We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles on the knowledge of cervical cancer. Articles were systematically searched using comprehensive search strings from PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, and grey literature from Google Scholar. Two reviewers assessed study eligibility, extracted data, and the risk of bias independently. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA v 14 to pool the overall knowledge of the women about cervical cancer. Results We included 26 articles published between 2013 and 2020 covering a total of 14,549 participants. All the included articles had good methodological quality. The proportion of participants who had heard of cervical cancer varied from 4.6 to 87.7% with the pooled estimate at 56% (95% CI: 47–66). Similarly, the proportion of participants who knew that HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer lied between 0 and 49.7% with the pooled result at 21% (95% CI: 13–30). Likewise, the pooled prevalence to identify at least one risk factor, one symptom of cervical cancer and ever heard of cervical cancer screening was gauged at 52% (95% CI: 39–64), 43% (95% CI: 26–60), and 39% (95% CI: 24–55), respectively. The overall pooled prevalence of good knowledge about cervical cancer was at 43% (95% CI: 33–53). On top of this, the prevalence of previous screening practice among the participants was at 14% (95% CI: 9–20). Conclusions Knowledge about cervical cancer among Ethiopian women is quite poor. Therefore, health education to provide sufficient and unbiased information about HPV and cervical cancer in general is required to the public.

Adenocarcinoma Cervical Y Abandono Terapéutico: La Perspectiva De Los Enfermeros De Una Ciudad Del Extremo Norte De Brasil

“…Además, la estigmatización de la patología originada por la sociedad, la pareja o el grupo familiar también causa más sufrimiento a la paciente con cáncer de cuello uterino, proporcionándole la experiencia de sentimientos de inutilidad, de desprestigio en relación con las personas y al espacio que habita, culminando también con el abandono de la terapia antineoplásica (12) . Otro factor es la ansiedad, el miedo a la muerte, la incertidumbre sobre la curación y la mejora del estado de salud del paciente, sentimientos constantes en el escenario del diagnóstico y el tratamiento del cáncer, especialmente en la fase terminal.…”

“…Otro factor es la ansiedad, el miedo a la muerte, la incertidumbre sobre la curación y la mejora del estado de salud del paciente, sentimientos constantes en el escenario del diagnóstico y el tratamiento del cáncer, especialmente en la fase terminal. Asociados a estos sentimientos, los altos índices de mortalidad y el miedo a la muerte se convierten en una constante, y la familia es una importante fuente de apoyo (12) .…”

“…Un estudio desarrollado en Etiopía destaca que, paralelamente, el papel de la figura masculina durante el proceso de enfermedad de su compañera por cáncer cervical uterino es decisivo, cuando existe el compromiso de ésta no sólo con la propia salud de la cónyuge, sino también en apoyarla y acompañarla en las consultas, el diagnóstico. El apoyo de los hombres a sus parejas durante el cribado y el tratamiento del cáncer de cuello de útero puede ser esencial para reducir las muertes por esta enfermedad (12) . Los compañeros pueden participar indirectamente como agentes de la lucha contra la incidencia y la mortalidad del cáncer de cuello de útero.…”

Adenocarcinoma Cervical E Abandono Terapêutico: A Ótica Dos Enfermeiros Em Uma Cidade Do Extremo Norte Brasileiro

“…Em adição, a estigmatização da patologia originada pela sociedade, parceiro ou grupo familiar também causa mais sofrimento à paciente portadora da neoplasia cervical, proporcionando-a experimentar sentimentos de inutilidade, desserviço em relação às pessoas e ao espaço que habita, culminando também no abandono da terapêutica antineoplásica (12) . Outro fator é a ansiedade, medo da morte, incerteza da cura e melhora do estado de saúde do enfermo, sentimentos constantes no cenário do diagnóstico e tratamento do câncer, principalmente em fase terminal.…”

Association between delayed initiation of treatment indications and survival in patients with cervical cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

“…The disease also covers about 22.2% of all cancers in this population of the Sub-Saharan Africa which also puts it as the top most cause of death in the region [ 7 ]. In Ethiopia, cervical carcinoma ranks the fourth most common type of cancer in women [ 8 ] which also accounts for the second most deadly cancer among this population [ 9 ].…”