Determinants of uptake of cervical cancer screening in northern india

Abstract

Background: The launch of operational framework for India’s first national cancer screening programme in 2016 was a landmark event in the background of poor screening coverage status. Our study aims to determine the factors deciding the uptake of cervical screening amongst women in rural India. Method: A cross-sectional, observational study was carried out amongst the women attending a secondary health centre of a district from Northern India. A total of 1250 women aged above 30 years who were never diagnosed or treated for cervical cancer were enrolled. After taking informed consent all women were interviewed about their bio-social profile and if they ever underwent screening of cervical cancer. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was applied to find out significant difference in distribution of bio-social variables (predictors) amongst the study population. The significant predictor variables were subjected to Binary and Multiple Logistic Regression. Unadjusted and Adjusted Prevalence Odds Ratio with 95% Confidence Interval were generated. Results: Religion, working status of the women, history of multiple sexual contacts were important factors influencing the utilization of screening. Conclusion: We conclude that cervical cancer screening is a cost-effective strategy in saving lives. We can tap its benefits only when we identify and remove the hurdles in the utilization of cervical cancer screening. © 2019, Indian Journal of Public Health Research and Development. All rights reserved.