Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening Services Among Women of Reproductive Age Accessing Services at Out-Patient Department of the Rural Hospitals in Uganda Bwindi Community Hospital Case Study

Abstract

Cervical cancer continues to pose a huge challenge on women’s health worldwide especially in the poorest countries. In Uganda, cervical cancer accounts for 40 percent of all cancers and is the leading gynecological cause of death among women. The purpose of this study was to determine uptake of cervical cancer screening services among women of reproductive age. The study used cross-sectional descriptive design and was conducted from OPD at BCH, in Kanungu district. Data was collected using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire from a sample of 93 respondents who were selected using a convenient random sampling. The study revealed that overall only 24% of respondents had ever been screened for cervical cancer. With respect to demographic characteristics, uptake was lower; in the age categories 18-25 (2.8%) and 26-34 years (23.5%), and those who were not married (21%), the unemployed (22%), those of primary level of education and below (21%), the HIV negative individuals (20%) and those from a distance five kilometers and above (15.2%). Generally, uptake of cervical cancer screening services was low. There is therefore a need to come up with measures such extension of services in form of out-reaches and empowerment of lower level health facilities to do screening in order to address the issue of distance, special education packages targeting those of younger age, the unmarried, those not employed, those with lower levels of education, the HIV negative individuals so as to scale uptake of cervical cancer screening.

Keywords: Cervical cancer; cervical cancer screening