Perceptions of barriers to cervical cancer screening among Saudi women: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Cervical Cancer (CC) ranked fourth in incidence and associated mortality among all cancers, with a mean age incidence of 61 years. This study evaluates the perceived barriers to CC screening among Saudi women in Najran city, KSA.  A cross-sectional study was conducted in Najran/ KSA, involving 1085 females. The data collection instrument comprised three main parts: basic data questionnaire, women’s knowledge regarding CC screening, assessment of health belief model scale for CC, and Pap smear test. Data collection started through an online survey from the beginning of October 2021 till the end of January 2022. Data analyses were performed using the Statistical IBM software, version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA).  The results showed that fear of bad results (68.9%), cost of treatment (58.8%), embarrassment (59.9%), and preference for female physician (47.4%) among several others were the barriers to CC screening identified by women Over 61% of the participants had a moderate barrier to CC screening, and 24.8% had high perceived barriers. Ordinal logistic regression shows that age, higher education, high monthly income, positive family history for CC, and adequate CC screening knowledge are positive predictors of low CC screening barriers (p˂0.05). Increasing number of deliveries and parities was a negative predictor for low CC screening.  CC screening barriers are still high among Saudi females. Some demographic variables may predict low CC screening barriers, and health care providers should consider these variables during CC preventive and educational programs. (Afr J Reprod Health 2022; 26[7s]: 33-42).