Knowledge, attitude and practice towards cervical cancer screening among women living with human immunodeficiency virus: Implication for prevention strategy uptake.
Moses Mukosha, Daniel Muyunda, Steward Mudenda and 4 others
PMID 36352500WHAT IT FOUND
Among 248 women living with HIV in Lusaka, cervical cancer knowledge was 62.4%, attitude 91.6%, and screening practice 36.5%.
Knowledge and attitude went with practice.
Key findings
01Overall cervical cancer knowledge score was 6.86/11 (62.4%), attitude score was 6.41/7 (91.6%), and screening practice score was 2.92/8 (36.5%).
02Higher knowledge scores went with more positive attitudes and better screening practice scores, and positive attitudes went with better practice scores.
03Most respondents agreed early detection is important (233/248, 93.9%), would undergo screening if available (227/248, 91.5%), and would use screening at any catchment centre (232/248, 93.6%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured knowledge, attitude and practice at one time, so it cannot show that knowledge caused attitude or screening. The sample was 248 women attending HIV clinics in five Lusaka facilities, so results may not apply to other settings or to women not in care. The questionnaire was self-administered, and the authors gave basic cervical cancer information at the end of the knowledge section, which may have affected later responses. The study was described as preliminary, and clustering by facility and expected differences in education and wealth were not considered in the sample size. No back translation was done after translating the questionnaire into Nyanja and Bemba.
Declared interests
The study was self-funded and did not receive any funding. The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 91.6% attitude score as evidence that women are actually screening. The practice score was 36.5%, and the study measured associations at one time, not the effect of an intervention.