Knowledge of Palestinian women about cervical cancer warning signs: a national cross- sectional study

BMC Public Health

Amany Alser¹  Ma’alem Hajajreh²  Ibrahim Al-Slaibi³  Hiba Khrishi⁴  Ghaid Tanbouz⁴  Lama Hammoud⁴  Alaa Alfuqaha⁵  Mariam Thalji⁶  Hadeel Ayesh⁶  Shahd Idais⁶  Salma Khader⁶  Haya Hebi⁶  Afnan Radaydeh⁶  Tumodir Abdallah⁶  Zakia Abo-Hajouj⁶  Aya Nammari⁶  Toqa Rjoub⁶  Siba Rjoub⁶  Deniz Elhussaini⁷  Zaina Alqudwa⁷  Refqa Skaik⁷  Manar Zamel⁸  Lana Khatib⁸  Rawan Zakout⁹  Bisan Ahmad⁹  Hala Abu Selmiyh⁹  Bettina Bottcher⁹  Nour Abed⁹  Nasser Abu-El-Noor^1,10  Nour Fannoun^1,11  Mohamedraed Elshami^1,12  Mohammed Alser^1,13  Hanan Abukmail^1,13  Lina Kassab^1,13 

[1] Al-Shiffa hospital;Alia Hospital;Almakassed Hospital;Faculty of Dentistry and Dental Surgery, Al-Quds University;Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University;Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University;Faculty of Medicine, Alazhar University of Gaza;Faculty of Medicine, An-Najah National University;Faculty of Medicine, Islamic University of Gaza;Faculty of Nursing, Islamic University of Gaza;Faculty of Pharmacy, Alazhar University of Gaza;Harvard Medical School;Ministry of Health;

关键词: Cervical cancer;    Early detection;    Survival;    Symptom;    Warning sign;    Awareness;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-021-11792-8

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Timely presentation and diagnosis of cervical cancer (CC) are crucial to decrease its mortality especially in low- and middle-income countries like Palestine. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of Palestinian women about CC warning signs and determine the factors associated with good knowledge. Methods This was a national cross-sectional study conducted between July 2019 and March 2020 in Palestine. Stratified convenience sampling was used to recruit adult women from hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and public spaces of 11 governorates. A translated-into-Arabic version of the validated CC awareness measure (CeCAM) was used to assess women’s knowledge of 12 CC warning signs. Results Of 8086 approached, 7223 participants completed the CeCAM (response rate = 89.3%). A total of 7058 questionnaires were included in the analysis: 2655 from the Gaza Strip and 4403 from the West Bank and Jerusalem (WBJ). The median age [interquartile range] for all participants was 34.0 [24.0, 42.0] years. Participants recruited from the WBJ were older, getting higher monthly income, and having more chronic diseases than those recruited from the Gaza Strip. The most frequently identified warning sign was ‘vaginal bleeding after menopause’ (n = 5028, 71.2%) followed by ‘extreme generalized fatigue’ (n = 4601, 65.2%) and ‘unexplained weight loss’ (n = 4578, 64.9%). Only 1934 participants (27.4%) demonstrated good knowledge of CC warning signs. Participants from the Gaza Strip were slightly more likely than participants from the WBJ to have a good level of knowledge. Factors associated with having good knowledge included having a bachelor or postgraduate degree, being married, divorced, or widowed as well as knowing someone with cancer. Conclusion The overall awareness of CC warning signs was low. Educational interventions are needed to increase Palestinian women’s awareness of CC warning signs.

【 授权许可】

Unknown