Knowledge, Attitude and Perception about Cervical Cancer Screening and its Practice among Women in Ghana

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women globally, with nearly half a million new cases recorded each year. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and perception of cervical cancer screening and its practice among womenin Ghana. The specific objectives were to determine the level of knowledge on cervical cancer, assess attitudes and practices towards screening, understand perceptions of cervical cancer, and identify factors associated with the willingness to screen.

A cross-sectional design with quantitative tools was used to explore these factors among womenin the Eastern Region of Ghana. The population consisted of women aged 18-64 years residing in the New-Juaben Municipal area, with 240 respondents selected from five communities. Data was collected using a pretested structured questionnaire, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 to generate descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, modes, and standard deviations.

The results indicated that while womenhad high awareness of cervical cancer, there was low awareness regarding multiple sexual partners and unprotected sex as risk factors. Based on these findings, the study recommended increasing education on cervical cancer risk factors to help reduce the potential rise in cases.