Despite being preventable, cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death among reproductive-aged women in Nepal. Despite various initiatives by the Government of Nepal, awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention remains limited, and the uptake of cervical cancer screening among reproductive-aged women is still low. This study aimed to assess awareness of cervical cancer, practice of cervical cancer screening, and its associated factors among reproductive-aged women in Shankharapur Municipality of Kathmandu district. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 245 reproductive-aged women (30–49 years) in the selected wards of Shankharapur Municipality in 2023. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the participants. Descriptive analysis was carried out using number, percentage, mean and standard deviation. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors associated with practice of cervical cancer screening. All the tests were set at 95% confidence interval and variables with P -value < .05 were considered as statistically significant. The mean (± SD) age of participants was 37.4 ± 5.9 years. More than half (57.4%) reported good health status, and 44.5% could reach the nearest health facility within 30 minutes. Most (87.3%) had heard of cervical cancer, but only 40.2% had ever undergone screening. Awareness of symptoms (61.2%), risk factors (47.0%), and preventive measures was limited, with 44.9% unaware of preventive measures. Factors significantly associated with screening practice included age (adjusted odds ratios AOR = 1.95), self-rated health status (AOR = 5.31), travel time to health facility (AOR = 10.85), awareness of symptoms (AOR = 1.44), risk factors (AOR = 2.09), and preventive measures (AOR = 1.28). Although awareness of cervical cancer was high, but actual screening uptake remained low. To improve screening coverage, targeted community-based awareness programs, cervical cancer screening counseling by healthcare providers and Female Community Healthcare Volunteers, and enhanced service accessibility through mobile health camps are recommended. Additionally, future research should include qualitative studies exploring healthcare providers’ perspectives and barriers related to the delivery and uptake of cervical cancer screening services.
Joshi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.