Cervical Cancer Awareness and Screening in Botswana
| Autor: | Noel T. Brewer, Yumi Taylor DiAngi, Andrew P. Steenhoff, Doreen Ramogola-Masire, Jennifer S. Smith, Alicea M. Mingo, Catherine A. Panozzo |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty Health Knowledge Attitudes Practice Population Culture Papanicolaou stain Uterine Cervical Neoplasms HIV Infections Article Young Adult Surveys and Questionnaires medicine Humans Mass Screening Young adult education Health Education Mass screening Aged Gynecology Cervical cancer Aged 80 and over Vaginal Smears education.field_of_study Botswana Obstetrics business.industry Obstetrics and Gynecology Cancer HIV Odds ratio Middle Aged medicine.disease Prognosis Oncology Health education Female business Follow-Up Studies Papanicolaou Test |
| Popis: | Objective Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of death in many developing countries because limited screening by Papanicolaou (Pap) smear. We sought to better understand women’s beliefs about cervical cancer and screening in Botswana, a middle-income African country with high rates of cervical cancer. Methods We interviewed 289 women attending general medicine or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinics, where Pap testing was available, in Gaborone, Botswana, in January 2009. Results About three fourths (72%) of the respondents reported having ever had a Pap smear; HIV-positive women were more likely to have had a Pap smear than HIV-negative women (80% vs 64%; odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.10–3.55). Screening was also more common among women who were older, had higher incomes, or had heard of cervical cancer. Almost all participants reported a desire to have a Pap smear. Reasons included to determine cervical health (56%), to improve overall health (33%), and to obtain early treatment (34%). About half (54%) of the respondents said they did not know what causes cervical cancer, and almost none attributed the disease to human papillomavirus infection. Conclusions Study findings can inform interventions that seek to increase cervical cancer awareness and uptake of screening as it becomes more widely available. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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