1Assistant Professor (MD), Department of Community Medicine, Heritage Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi
2Post-Graduate Resident (MD), Department of Community Medicine, Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad
3Professor (MD, FICS) Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
4Professor (MS, FACS, FICS), Department of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
*Corresponding Author: Dr. Divya Khanna, N8/180-AK-1, Rajendra Vihar, Nevada, Sunderpur, Varanasi, UP, India-221005, Phone: +918800261044, Email: dkhannakgmc@gmail.com
Online published on 26 September, 2019.
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.
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.
Religion, working status of the women, history of multiple sexual contacts were important factors influencing the utilization of screening.
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.
Screening, Cancer Cervix, India, Uptake Determinants
