ASSESSING THE AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF CERVICAL CANCER AMONG FEMALE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE TAMALE METROPOLIS OF GHANA

Abstract

The lack of knowledge of cervical cancer and its risk factors have led to the late detection and poor prognosis of cervical cancer among women, especially in West Africa. This study seeks to assess the awareness, knowledge and the risk factors associated with cervical cancer among female Senior High School (SHS) students in the Tamale metropolis. A structured questionnaire was administered by the researchers to a total of 330 female students of four randomly selected SHSs in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana. The questionnaire assessed students’ knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer and its risk factors; it also gathered the demographic factors of the students. Approximately 79.1% (P<0.001) of the students had ever heard of cervical cancer, 31.7% had knowledge about the signs and symptoms of the condition and only 24.6% were aware of the risk factors of cervical cancer. Teachers were the major source of information about cervical cancer for these students. Approximately, 37.9% (P<0.001) of the respondents identified cervical cancer as a sexually transmitted infection. The majority (79.1%; P<0.001) of the respondents knew that cervical cancer was a preventable condition. A little over half of the students (53.9%) were aware of cervical cancer screening methods but only 2.4% (P<0.001) of the total respondents had ever been screened for cervical cancer. This study clearly shows the need to improve sexually active women’s knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors, its signs and symptoms and preventive measures as well as how to assess available screening programme