Background:
Carcinoma of the
cervix is the second most common
cancer in
women worldwide. It is the commonest
cancer among Indian
women.
Awareness regarding
cervical cancer and its prevention is quite low amongst Indian
women. The
Pap test is a simple and
cost-effective
technique for
early diagnosis of
cervical cancer.
Methods:
It was a cross sectional study conducted in the months of September and October 2018. We included 200
women between 30 and 60 years of age.
Results:
In present study, out of 200
respondents, 160 (80%)
respondents got married after 21 years of age while 40 (20%)
respondents got married below 21 years of age. 148 (74%)
respondents had 2
children, 30 (15%)
respondents had one
child while 22 (11%)
respondents had 3
children. 166 (83%) had heard about
cervical cancer, 24 (12%) knew that
cervical cancer can be cured if detected in early stage while only 10 (5%) knew that it can be prevented. 54 (27%)
respondents knew that
pap smear test should be done as
screening test to detect
cervical cancer in early stage while 22 (11%)
respondents knew about
HPV vaccine as preventive
measure.
Conclusions:
In present study, though
women have heard about
cervical cancer, proper
knowledge was very less. Also,
awareness about
HPV vaccine and
Pap smear was less. There is need for proper information and facilities for
pap smear and HPV
vaccination.