Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Related to Cervical Cancer Among Adult Women in Azad Kashmir: A Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study

Objective To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) related to cervical cancer among the adult women of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Methods A cross-sectional study, involving 594 patients visiting the Gynecology and Obstetrics outpatient departments of Khalifa bin Zayed Hospital, Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, was done. The study questionnaire (interviewer-administered) included 26 items to measure the knowledge, attitude, and practices related to cervical cancer and was formulated and validated with the help of gynecologists and epidemiologists. Descriptive statistics were used to present the knowledge, attitude, and practice level of respondents. The respondents’ knowledge, attitude, and practice score was compared across gender and level of education. Data analysis was done using SPSS v 23.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, US) at 95% CI. Results A total of 346 (58.2%) women heard about cervical cancer and 210 (35.4%) women heard about the pap smear test. Thirty-five women (5.9%) underwent a pap smear test in their lifetime. More than half (51.7%) thought that undergoing a pap smear test is embarrassing. But 382 respondents (64.3%) will undergo a pap smear test if the test is provided free of cost. Unmarried women had a better KAP score as compared to married women (13.58±5.14 vs 9.12±4.04, p<.001). The KAP score was significantly different in respondents with different levels of education (p<.001). Conclusion This study showed a better KAP score as compared to previous Pakistani studies but, still, there is plenty of room to improve. Women of developed countries have significantly better knowledge, attitude, and practices related to cervical cancer. Local authorities may run a free pap smear screening program in communities to detect cervical cancer early.