EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE REGARDING CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING PRACTICE: A MULTICENTER REGIONAL STUDY

The prevalence of deaths from cervical cancer (CC) in the word was around 350.000 in the last 5 years, indicating the need to analyze the potential causality and current management approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge regarding CC, including its risk factors, signs and symptoms and early detection methods, as well as the awareness and attitude of participants toward the screening tests. This cross-sectional study was conducted between August and October of 2023 in a representative sample of 18-59 years old Armenian women. Data were generated using structured interviews with self-administered questionnaire and adopted from similar studies and translated into Armenian. Majority of the survey respondents demonstrated moderate awareness about the risk factors, signs and symptoms of the condition. The poorest knowledge regarding the preventive colposcopy screening method of CC was observed. Comparison of demographic characteristics of participants and their awareness regarding the inquired topics revealed evident relationship between the disease rate and studied variables. A strong relationship was observed between the awareness of CC risk factors and CC symptoms of the disease and age groups, residency, number of children, insurance and employment status, level of education and level of income. The short period of the survey and a fast track of data analysis with independent variables has revealed the region-specific current rates for the assessed variables and their relationship. The study added more facts to the existing body of knowledge about the implementation strategies and limitations of CC screening programs.