Impact of health education on knowledge and perception of cervical cancer and screening among rural women in Bangladesh

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide, causing nearly half of all diagnosed cases to result in death. Most of the cases, women are dying due to ignorance and lack of adequate knowledge, which is completely unacceptable. This study aimed to assess the effects of health educational intervention on knowledge and perception of cervical cancer and its screening among women in Tangail District of Bangladesh. This was a quasi-experimental (pre-post) study conducted in Tangail District, Bangladesh. Baseline data were collected using a pre-validated questionnaire from 400 rural women, followed by a health education intervention. After one month, a post-intervention survey using the same questionnaire was conducted to assess changes in knowledge and perception. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, McNemar's test, and Friedman test to evaluate pre-post differences and associations with socio-demographic variables. All statistical tests had been conducted using Microsoft Excel (Version 2024) and SPSS (version 27). Out of 400 participants, the majority (44.8%) was aged between 25 and 34 years and most (96.8%) of the women were housewives. A significant improvement was observed in knowledge about cervical cancer and its screening after the health education intervention. Before the intervention, 69.5% of the participants were aware of cervical cancer but after the intervention it increased to 100% (p < 0.001). Additionally, the awareness about cervical cancer screening rises from 20.3% to 100% (p < 0.001). Moreover, before the intervention, only 14.8% of participants were aware of the HPV vaccine, while this figure increased to 98.3% (p < 0.001). Furthermore, after the intervention the percentage of participants receiving cervical cancer screenings increased from 4.3% to 9.8% (p = 0.004). The study observed that health education intervention programs significantly increased women knowledge and perception regarding cervical cancer and its screening. Cervical cancer mortality rate can be highly reduced if it can be detected early and take proper measures.