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Ibe Michael Usman,1 Naguledaticha Chama,2 Eric O Aigbogun Jr,3 Annet Kabanyoro,4 Keneth Iceland Kasozi,5 Comfort Ojochenemi Usman,6 Mario Edgar Fernandez Diaz,1 Elisa Ndyamuhakyi,1 Victor Bassey Archibong,7 Comfort Onongha,4 Juma John Ochieng,1 Rogers Bariture Kanee,8 Robinson Ssebuufu9 1Department of Human Anatomy, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda; 2Department of Surgery, Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Ishaka, Uganda; 3Department of Human Anatomy, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria; 4Department of Nursing, Aga Khan University, Kampala, Uganda; 5Physiology Department, Kabale University, Kabale, Uganda; 6Nursing Department, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Tudun Wada, Nigeria; 7Department of Human Anatomy, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda; 8Institute of Geo-Science and Space Technology, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria; 9Department of Surgery, Mengo Hospital, Kampala, UgandaCorrespondence: Ibe Michael Usman, Department of Human Anatomy, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda, Tel +256706666798, Email gopama13@gmail.comPurpose: Cervical cancer (CC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women living in third-world countries. CC is preventable, with the possibility of complete treatment if detected early. The objective of the study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice on CC screening (CCS) among female university students (FUS) in Ishaka, western Uganda.Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study among FUS (n = 407) in western Uganda conducted after the first nationwide lockdown in Uganda. Information was collected using a questionnaire and descriptively presented as frequency and percentages.Results: The majority of our respondents were medical students 283 (69.5%), below 25 years 339 (83.3%), with Anglican Christian religious background 150 (36.9%). Respondents above the age of 25 years (p = 0.0052) and those in the medical profession (p < 0.001) had more knowledge. More medical students had a better attitude (p = 0.0043) and favorable practices (0.0134) compared to their non-medical counterparts. There is a weak correlation between attitude (r = 0.206, p < 0.001) and practice (r = 0.181, p = 0.0003) with knowledge on CCS.Conclusion: Observation from the present study suggests the need for more efforts in the fight against cervical cancer and encouragement of positive attitude and practice towards cervical cancer screening and uptake of vaccination.Keywords: cervical cancer screening, human papillomavirus, university students, Uganda cancer control |
