Factors Associated with utilization of cervical cancer screening services among women attending family planning clinic at Machakos County Referral Hospital, Machakos- Kenya

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer is the major cause of mortality globally with close to 500,000 new cases annually. The incident of cervical cancer is expected to increase by almost 700,000 cases and cause about 400,000 deaths by year 2030 according to World Health Organization (WHO). Cervical cytology screening reduces cervical cancer rate through early detection and treatment of premalignant lesions.In Machakos County Referral Hospital, the number of women screened in a day is on average 2 which is low compared to daily target of 23. There is little information and knowledge regarding factors associated with cervical cancer screening in Machakos County Objectives: To determine cervical cancer screening uptake among women attending Machakos County Referral Hospital. To determine social demographic characteristics associated with utilization of cervical cancer screening services. To describe the risks and perceptions associated with cervical cancer screening Methods: The study was conducted in Machakos County Referral Hospital family planning clinic using a cross sectional survey design. The study population comprised women aged 18 years and above. The sample size was 206 women aged 18 years and above. The women were selected using a systematic sampling method with an interval of 3. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze descriptive data. The relationship between variables was conducted using logistic regression analysis with 95% CI for odds ratio. Results: A total of 200 participants were interviewed. A total of 41 (20.5%), 95% CI [15.0-26.5]) women attending family planning had been screened for cervical cancer. Social demographic factors did not significantly affect the level of screening; age (p- value= 0.600), Marital status (Value=0.439), level of education (Value=0.349), em- ployment (Value=0.413) and residential area (Value=0.928). Study results from 95% (190) of respondents show that it is important to do cervical cancer screening. Majori- ty of the respondents 94% (188) reported that there's a benefit in early screening for cervical cancer. 45.5% (91) of respondents were not aware that susceptibility to cervi- cal cancer increases with number of pregnancies. Conclusion: There is low cervical cancer screening uptake among women who attend MRCH as compared to WHO recommendation of 70% coverage for countries. Pain experienced during cervical cancer screening is a barrier Recommendations: Cervical cancer screening procedures should aim at reducing pain experienced by women during screening. It is essential for women to go for cervical cancer screening Health programmes should come up with better interventions target- ing women and sensitize them to go for early screening. There is need for health pro- grammes to educate and sensitize women on cervical cancer risks.