Cervical cancer screening utilization and its predictors among women in bench Sheko Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: using health belief model

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed and found to be the leading cause of cancer death in women, especially in low and middle-income countries. Even though cervical cancer is a preventable disease, its preventive measures have not been equitably implemented across and within different countries; especially in low and middle-income countries, due to different contributing factors. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess cervical cancer screening utilization and its’ predictors among Women in Bench Sheko Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. METHOD: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed in Bench Sheko Zone from February 2021 to April 2021. Using a multi-stage stratified sampling method, a total of 690 women in the age range of 30–49 years were included in the study. The logistic regression analysis was used considering a 95% confidence interval and a P-value of < 0.05. RESULTS: Ninety-six (14.2%) of the participants have utilized cervical cancer screening. Predictors like; age between 40–49 years (AOR = 5.35, 95% CI = [2.89, 9.90]), partner educational status of certificate and above (AOR = 4.36, 95% CI = [1.65, 11.51]), first sexual intercourse before eighteen years (AOR = 4.85, 95% CI = [2.29, 10.26]), ever used of alcohol (AOR = 3.99, 95% CI = [1.23, 12.89]), good knowledge (AOR = 8.98, 95% CI = [4.06, 19.89]), favorable attitude (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI = [1.78, 7.09]), and high perceived benefit (AOR = 2.94, 95% CI = [1.48, 5.84]) were strongly associated with cervical cancer screening utilization. CONCLUSION: In this study, cervical cancer screening utilization was relatively low. Therefore, promotion of the perception of women towards cervical cancer screening, and provision of health-related information towards different behavioral-related factors should have to be addressed at each level of health care.