KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING AND HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINATION AMONG WOMEN ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN TAMIL NADU: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Cervical cancer remains the second most common malignancy among Indian women, yet it is almost entirelypreventable through screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Awareness and preventive behaviour in thegeneral female population attending hospital services are inconsistently documented in south India. The objective is to assessthe knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination among womenattending a tertiary care hospital in Tamil Nadu, and to identify the socio-demographic factors associated with adequateknowledge and with uptake of screening. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried outamong 360 women attending the outpatient services using a pre-structured questionnaire covering socio-demographicdetails, sixteen knowledge items on risk factors, symptoms, screening and prevention, vaccine-specific knowledge, attitudeand willingness statements, and self-reported preventive practices. Responses were summarised as counts and percentages;associations were tested with the chi-square test, and independent predictors were examined using binary logistic regression,with p<0.05 taken as significant. Results: The mean age was 38.5 ± 12.0 years. Only 154 women (42.8%) had adequateoverall knowledge; awareness that HPV is a risk factor was reported by 149 (41.4%) and awareness of screening tests by 179(49.7%). Adequate knowledge was strongly associated with urban residence, higher education and employment (allp<0.001). Attitude was largely favourable, with 304 (84.4%) willing to be screened if the test were free. However, only 170(47.2%) had ever undergone a Pap or HPV test and only 94 (26.1%) had received the HPV vaccine; lack of awareness(46.7%) and cost (29.4%) were the leading barriers. Good knowledge independently predicted screening uptake (adjustedodds ratio 3.15, 95% confidence interval 1.63-6.07). Conclusion: Women attending this tertiary hospital showed afavourable attitude towards cervical cancer prevention but limited knowledge and low uptake of screening and vaccination,both patterned by education and residence. Targeted, literacy-sensitive counselling and subsidised services are needed toconvert positive intent into preventive action.