Interactive Education Promotes Cervical Cancer Preventative Practices in Northwest Nigeria: Interactive Education Promotes Cervical Cancer Preventative Practices in Northwest Nigeria

PURPOSE Cervical cancer is a significant health issue worldwide. In 2020, it accounted for 604 000 new cases and 342 000 deaths (WHO, 2022), with low- and middle-income nations contributing over 90% of new cases and related deaths worldwide (Sung, 2021). Nigeria has one of the highest rates of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa (Bruni et al, 2021). Lack of awareness about cervical cancer prevention was reported in 72.2% of studies of young people (Adewumi et al., 2022). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cervical cancer prevention interactive education program on female student`s knowledge and willingness to prevent cervical cancer in Northwest Nigeria. METHODS We employed a quasi-experimental design with a self-administered questionnaire for data collection. Respondents were of ages 18-35 years recruited by clustering faculties and using systematic sampling method. Information about cervical cancer and prevention was administered twice, with a 6-hour interval after the education by lecture method using power-point. Data analysis was by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Descriptive and inferential statistics for frequency distribution, chi square test and paired t-test were computed. RESULTS Knowledge mean score for cervical cancer improved from (11.33±7.28) at pre intervention to (21.20±47) at post intervention phase. Knowledge of cervical cancer prevention also increased, from a mean score of 0.99 to 1.44 between pre- and post-test. The intention towards preventing cervical cancer also increased from an aggregate mean score at pretest of 1.11 to 1.37 at posttest. The paired t- test also showed a difference in the mean pretest and post test score (t =4.406 p = 0.012) and implied knowledge gain for cervical cancer prevention. CONCLUSION Educational intervention was effective at improving student`s knowledge of cervical cancer and their intent to prevent it. We therefore recommend that educational interventions should be carried out among students in northwest Nigeria.