Publication:

Study on assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice towards prevention and screening of cervical cancer among couples

Background Cervical cancer (CC) is caused by Human Papilloma Virus which is sexually transmitted. With the rise in its incidence, it is necessary to know if couple awareness is important to increase uptake of screening. Thus, this study was undertaken to analyze if knowledge, attitude and practice towards prevention and screening of CC in male partners has influence in female counterparts.

Methodology Questionnaire based cross sectional study from August 2022 to August 2023, done in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences. 340 couples (680 participants), ≥18years of age, attending the outpatient department who consented for the study were enrolled.

Results Only 48% of the study population (142 couples) had heard about cervical cancer. There was no significant difference in the knowledge between males and females among couples who had heard about CC. However, there was significant difference in the female counterpart’s knowledge when males had or lacked knowledge on CC (p<0.00001). Assessment of preventive practice showed that only 17% women had done screening test and only 33% of couples used barrier contraception. More than 80 % couples had a positive attitude towards screening and vaccination against the disease.

Conclusions Though the population exhibited positive attitude towards CC prevention but the lack of knowledge led to less preventive practices. Male partner’s knowledge also showed influence on awareness about CC among females. Hence, to increase screening uptake, educational programs should include couples rather than females.