Qualitative Assessment of Cervical Cancer Awareness among Primary Health-Care Providers in Zaria, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer morbidity and mortality, especially in the developing countries. Preventive measures have helped in curbing the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease in the developed countries. Primary health-care centers provide opportunity for the primary prevention of cervical cancer, especially in environments where there are no standard protocols/programs for cervical cancer prevention. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to assess the awareness of cervical cancer among primary health-care providers in Zaria. METHODOLOGY: The study was qualitative. Five primary health-care centers in Zaria local government were purposively selected for the study. Focus group discussions were conducted with the health-care providers in the selected facilities. The discussions were recorded on tape recorders and were transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were then analyzed into themes. RESULTS: All participants were aware of cervical cancer. However, only few of the participants were aware of the cause of cervical cancer and the risk factors associated with the disease. None of the participants has had any training on the prevention of cervical cancer. CONCLUSION: Primary health-care providers can play a critical role in the prevention of cervical cancer in our environment. However, there is a need to train them on cervical cancer prevention for effective control of the disease.