Knowledge and attitude level towards cervical cancer and pap smear screening among university students

Background:Cervical cancer is mainly caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)and it is the most common malignancy among women worldwide withsignificant number of mortality rates. The objective of this study is to assess the level of knowledge and attitude regarding cervical cancer and pap smear screening and its association with sociodemographic characteristics among female students at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan Campus, Pahang. Methods:A quantitative cross-sectional study using the convenience sampling method was conducted among 369 female undergraduate students of IIUM Kuantan Campus, from March to May 2023. Data were collected using a physical questionnaire which was available in the English Language that was distributed to all female undergraduate students in the campus. Data analysis was done by using SPSS version 27. Results:This study demonstrated that the majority of the female students have average knowledge of cervical cancer (35.8%) and low knowledge of pap smear screening (37.9%). In addition, they have a low attitude toward cervical cancer (37.9%) and an average attitude toward pap smear screening (40.4%). It is also demonstrated that age, kulliyyah and year of study are significantly associated with knowledge level towards cervical cancer and pap smear screening (p<0.05). For attitude level of cervical cancer, there is a significant association between kulliyyah, family history of cancer and family history of cervical cancer (p<0.05). In addition, there is a significant association between year of study and family history of cervical cancer towards attitude level of pap smear screening (p<0.05). This study also demonstrated that most of the participants are unaware if vaccinating males can reduce the incidence of cervical cancer or not (57.2%), agreed that a woman who had a hysterectomy performed does not need todo a pap smear anymore (55.8%), which is incorrect, agreed that they feel shy, embarrassed and reluctant during pap smear test examinations (46.1%) and they afraid the results may show that they are positive for cancer (54.7%).Conclusion:Hence, it is imperative toplanand implement targeted health promotion initiatives aimed at elevating the knowledge and reshaping the attitudes of female undergraduates pertaining on cervical cancer and the importance of pap smear screening test.