Assessment of Awareness of Cervical Cancer Among Adult Women Attending OPD in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Across the country, cervical cancer continues to affect a large number of women both by morbidity and mortality. Despite availability of effective screening methods, only 9.8% of women of 30 to 49 years underwent cancer screening, indicating poor compliance. Assessing awareness helps in designing targeted measures to boost screening participation and decrease the burden. Objectives: Among adult women attending a tertiary care hospital OPD, Assessing awareness and its determinants about cervical cancer and its screening is our objective. Methodology: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 women attending the OPD of a tertiary care hospital during June–July 2023, selected through systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a validated, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Continuous variables were expressed as mean and standard deviation, while categorical variables were presented as percentages. Associations between variables were analyzed using chi-square statistics. Results: 42.3±12.5 years was the Mean age of the study participants. 48% (192) reported that they are aware of cancer cervix. Awareness was significantly lower among illiterate, casual laborers and housewives. Of 129 who reported as aware about the screening facilities, only 57 (44.2%) had undergone screening. 12 (6.25%) were vaccinated against HPV. The mean knowledge score was dismally poor. Only 3 scored in the moderate range while none had good knowledge. Conclusion: The study revealed alarmingly low awareness levels and knowledge scores about cancer cervix among the study participants, underscoring the urgent need for implementing comprehensive awareness campaigns for effective control and prevention.