Determinants of cervical cancer screening uptake among women in Embu county, Kenya

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer affecting women worldwide. In 2012, it was estimated that 529,409 new cases occurred globally, with 274,883 (52% of cases) dying. Of the total new cases annually, about 86% occur in developing countries. In Kenya, 2454 new cases of cervical cancer and 1676 deaths occur annually. Cervical cancer is however one of the most preventable non- communicable diseases through screening .In Kenya screening uptake is low at just 3.2%. The main objective of the study was to determine factors associated with cervical cancer screening uptake among women in Embu County. The study was a cross-sectional study .A multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used to obtain the required sample size of 269. The study was approved by the Kenyatta National Hospital-University of Nairobi Ethics Review Committee. The study was conducted between January 2014 and March 2014. Descriptive analysis was done. Graphs and tables were used to summarize data and measures of associations were determined between uptake of cervical cancer screening and the predictor variables using Pearson’s Chi-square. The mean age of respondents was 35 years. A majority 66% were married. A majority, 82.2% were aware of cervical cancer and 73.2% of cervical cancer screening. Only 25% of the women had ever been screened. Majority of the women 85.9% and 77% respectively reported little understanding of cervical cancer and lack of information as barriers to cervical cancer screening respectively. Significant associations were found between employment status and screening uptake (P=0.05), awareness of cervical cancer, awareness of cervical cancer screening and screening uptake (P=0.000). The study shows that the uptake of cervical cancer screening was low among the women in Embu County. This shows that awareness of cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening has not translated to uptake of screening. There is need therefore to put more emphasis on educating and creating awareness among communities about cervical cancer, signs and symptoms and the modes of prevention