Poor knowledge and awareness of human papillomavirus and cervical cancer among adult females in rural Ghana

Abstract

Cervical cancer (CC) continues to be a global burden, and a disease of public health interest, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the knowledge and awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and CC and the risk-behavioural characteristics of an adult female population in rural Ghana. A total of 274 women, aged 21 years and above were recruited through multi-stage sampling. A questionnaire was used to obtain data on their socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics and assess their knowledge and awareness of HPV and CC through face-to-face interviews. In all, 187 (68.2%) participants had poor knowledge of HPV and CC with 87 (31.8%) having good knowledge. Only 18.2% and 48.9% of them had prior awareness of HPV infection and CC, respectively. Their primary source of information was the broadcast media (TV and Radio stations) (60.1%). Regarding risky lifestyle behaviours, the mean age at sexual debut was 18.52 ± 2.39 years, 82.8% have had more than one lifetime sexual partner, 81.0% were multiparous with 51.5% using oral contraceptives. Women with higher educational attainment (cOR = 0.41; 95%CI = 0.20-0.81), monthly income (cOR = 0.31; 95%CI = 0.10-1.02), and lifetime sexual partners (aOR = 0.46; 95%CI = 0.21-1.00) were less likely to have poor CC and HPV knowledge compared to their counterparts. In conclusion, adult females in the rural population have limited knowledge and awareness of HPV infection and CC with low CC screening. Intensive educational campaigns should be organised and spearheaded on multiple platforms by the Ghana Health Service and civil societies to sensitise and educate women, in the rural parts of the country, on CC and its related preventive measures.

Assessment of Saudi Females’ Knowledge Regarding Human Papillomavirus Infection, Screening, and Available Methods for Prevention: A Cross-Sectional Study in Qassim Region

“…A total of 24.5% were moderate and only 4.4% were categorized as having a good level of knowledge (mean score: 3.56; SD 2.91, out of 11 points). These findings are consistent with the literature wherein most women demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding the basic facts of HPV, infection, screening, and prevention [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. In Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia, there has been a report that only a small proportion (17.4%) of Saudi females had good knowledge about cervical cancer [14].…”

Cervical Microbiota Influences Cytokine Diversity in Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia among Rural Women in the Akyemansa District of Ghana

“…Members of the district rely on pit latrines, boreholes as the main sources of toilet and water facilities, and open-space public dump for waste disposal. We have recently reported poor knowledge of human papillomavirus and cervical cancer in the area [ 29 , 30 ].…”