Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Cervical Cancer Screening among Human Immunodeficiency Virus Patients Attending a Tertiary Health Centre in North-Central Nigeria

Globally, an estimated 5% of all cervical cancer cases are attributable to HIV, with a five-fold higher risk of occurrence in HIV-positive women. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of cervical cancer screening among HIV patients at Federal Medical Centre Makurdi, North-central Nigeria. This cross-sectional study involved 123 HIV-positive women recruited by systematic random sampling over twelve weeks. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The study revealed that the mean age of participants was 44.93±10.00 and 38(28.1%) had HIV infection between 11-15 years duration. Less than half of the participants 59(43.7%) had good knowledge of cervical cancer screening, while the majority 102 (75.6%) had a positive attitude towards cervical cancer screening and 76(56.3%) had undergone cervical cancer screening. The study concluded that the majority of HIV-positive women had poor knowledge of cervical cancer screening; however, most of them had positive attitude and perception concerning cervical cancer screening. This calls for a scale-up of health education programs.