Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening Perceived by Married Women Attending at Tertiary Level Hospital in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Globally, cervical cancer is the most significant problem affecting women’s health. In Bangladesh and around the globe, it is considered the second most common communal reason for cancer-related mortality among female populations. Cervical cancer is a global alarm that must be initially addressed to prevent or decrease its detrimental consequence. Objectives: The study purpose is to identify the barriers to early detection for cancer of the cervix amongst married women attending at a selected hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 384 conjugal females who were selected from Kurmitola General Hospital (KGH), Dhaka Cantonment, Dhaka, by applying a method based on participant availability. Information was obtained by self-administered surveys, including the socio-demographic questionnaire and the Creencias, Papanicolaou, Cancer-28 (CPC-28) questionnaire, through face-to-face conversation. After data collection, it was examined by utilizing both inferential and descriptive statistics. Result: The current study presented that most (89.3%) of the participants have a high perception of barriers about screening for cervical cancer amongst married females. The most powerful identified barriers to cervical cancer detection were not being conscious of how frequently Pap tests are performed (65.1%), anxiety about the result (66.9%), shyness (61.5%), and inadequate knowledge and awareness (81.8%). Additionally, women’s age (r=-.26, p=.000), religion (t=-7.03, p=.000), level of education (F=6.55, p=.002), occupation (F=9.12, p=.000), monthly family income (r=.873, p=.008), place of residence (t=4.87, p=.000), and number of children (r=-.16, p=.001) were found to have significant relationships with barriers to screening for cervical cancer. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high perception of obstacles to early examination for cancer of the cervical region amongst married females. Seven factors were found to have a significant association with barriers to cervical cancer screening among married women. Therefore, these concerns should be paid attention to by health care professionals and policymakers to proceed with immediate and effective actions aimed at avoiding, timely recognizing, and managing cervical cancer in women.