AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF CERVICAL CANCER AND UTILISATION OF ITS SCREENING SERVICES AMONG FEMALE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTRES IN SOKOTO METROPOLI

Introduction: Cervical cancer (CaCx) is the most common genital tract malignancy among women in Sokoto State. Lack of awareness about CaCx among health care workers is among the factors that contribute to the high burden in developing countries. This study assessed the awareness and knowledge of CaCx and the utilization of its screening services among female healthcare providers in primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Sokoto metropolis.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 170 female healthcare providers in PHCs in Sokoto Metropolis. A multistage sampling method was used to select the respondents. Data was collected using a 32-item interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0.

Results: More than half (95, 55.8%) of the respondents were aged at least 31 years with a mean of 34 ±8.4 years. The majority 159 (93.5%) of the respondents had heard of CaCx. The knowledge of CaCx 108 (63.5%) and its screening services 137 (80.6%) were poor. The uptake of CaCx screening services was very poor 7 (4.1%). Factors associated with uptake were age at first childbirth, years of work experience, recent attendance of training, knowledge of CaCx, awareness and knowledge of CaCx screening.

Conclusion: There was poor knowledge of CaCx and its screening services and very poor utilisation of CaCx screening services despite good awareness of CaCx. It is recommended that the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency organizes seminars on CaCx and its screening to improve the knowledge and uptake of the services in primary healthcare providers.