Barriers to cervical cancer screening practices among women in Gishu County Kenya

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2018 in the subject Medicine - Other language: English abstract: The study focused on factors that act as barriers to the utilization of cervical cancer screening practices among women living in Uasin Gishu County Kenya. The objectives of study were to describe the knowledge level about cervical cancer and screening practices (causes risk factors and early detection) among women living in Uasin Gishu County to describe women' perceptions and attitudes towards cervical cancer and screening practices to determine the level of cervical screening utilization and whether cervical screening practices vary between rural and urban women living in Uasin Gushy County and to identify factors that functions as barriers to the utilization of cervical cancer screening practices among women living in Uasin Gishu County. The study adopted a cross sectional research design that applied both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection including combination of interviews and questionnaires. Since cervical cancer affects only women the study took as its target population women. Therefore the study population comprised of women aged between 18 and 55 years with different social economic and ethnic backgrounds and resided in both urban and rural areas Uasin Gishu County Kenya. The finding of the study confirmed that many women living in Uasin Gishu County Kenya had heard about cervical cancer yet the majority of the women had a poor knowledge in many characteristics of cervical cancer. Disparity was also observed in the knowledge of cervical cancer by the women. In view of the knowledge discrepancy about cervical cancer in the women there is need for the Ministry of Health in Kenya to strengthen training programs and in-service education so that nurses and other health workers update their knowledge of cervical cancer and screening so that they circulate the same type of information. There is need for massive awareness