Attitudes and practice of cervical cancer screening among female university students from 25 low, middle income and emerging economy countries
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2014
TITLE AUTHOR(S): S.Pengpid, K.Peltzer
KEYWORDS: CERVICAL CANCER, HEALTH, STUDENTS (COLLEGE), WOMEN
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8497
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/2092
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/2092
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
Cervical cancer, the third commonest cancer in women worldwide, can be prevented through early detection by cervical screening (Pap smear). The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes and practice of cervical cancer screening among female undergraduate university students from 25 low, middle income and emerging economy countries. Using anonymous questionnaires, data were collected from 9,194 female undergraduate university students aged 18-26 years (mean age 20.9, SD=2.0) from 26 universities in 25 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Overall, 11.6% of the female students indicated that they had conducted one or more times a cervical (Pap) smear test; 8.3% among 18-20 year-olds and 15.6% among 21-26 year-old students. There was considerable country variation on having had a cervical (Pap) smear test among 21-26 year-old female university students, ranging from 59.2% in Colombia and 50.9% in Barbados to 0% in India and 1.0% in Tunisia. Logistic regression showed that cervical cancer screening importance or positive attitude were highly associated with the cervical screening practice. Moreover, risky sexual behaviour and tobacco use, two cervical cancer risk factors, were associated with screening. Cervical cancer screening practices were found to be inadequate and efforts should be made to develop programmes that can increase the uptake of cervical cancer screening.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Book review: Bradby, H. & Hundt, G.L. (eds). 2010. Global perspectives on war, gender and health: the sociology and anthropology of suffering. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing. 157 p. ISBN 9780754675235
- Body image and physical activity among black university students in South Africa
- Stress, psychological symptoms, social support and health behaviour among black students in South Africa
- Tripping up: AIDS, pharmaceuticals and intellectual property in South Africa
- Women, water and workers in southern Africa: survey of attitudes of women trade unionists in the public sector in southern Africa, 30 July 2008
- Motivating for a gendered analysis of trends within South African medical schools and the profession
- Female undergraduate students' constructions of success at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Negotiating social and gender identity: the worldwiew of women students at the University of Pretoria
- Social and academic integration of young women at the University of Cape Town
- Conclusion
- Chronic diseases risk factors and access to health exams among women in South Africa
- Dual protection, contraceptive use, HIV status and risk among a national sample of South African women
- Dietary, social, and environmental determinants of obesity in Kenyan women
- Knowledge attitude and practice of breast cancer examination among women attending a health facility in Gaborone, Botswana
- Awareness and use of and barriers to family planning services among female university students in Lesotho
- "We women are women with a different manner": sexual health of WSW in four Western Cape communities
- Body weight and body image among a sample of female and male South African university students
- Predictors of overweight and obesity in adult women in Nairobi province, Kenya
- Celebrating 25 years of Agenda: the state of women's health
- Equity in maternal health in South Africa: analysis of health service access and health status in a national household survey