Assessment of psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening among women in Kumasi, Ghana using a mixed methods approach. Afr Health Sci 2013 Dec;13(4):1054-61
Date
06/19/2014Pubmed ID
24940332Pubmed Central ID
PMC4056503DOI
10.4314/ahs.v13i4.28Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84893934314 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 40 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in Ghana, West Africa. The cervical cancer mortality rate in Ghana is more than three times the global cervical cancer mortality rate. Pap tests and visual inspection with acetic acid wash are widely available throughout Ghana, yet less that 3% of Ghanaian women get a cervical cancer screening at regular intervals.
OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study was to identify psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening among Ghanaian women with and without cancer using a mixed methods approach.
METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 49 Ghanaian women with cancer and 171 Ghanaian women who did not have cancer.
RESULTS: The results of the quantitative analysis indicated that cancer patients where not more likely to have greater knowledge of cancer signs and symptoms than women without cancer. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed several psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening including, common myths about cervical cancer, misconceptions about cervical cancer screening, the lack of spousal support for screening, cultural taboos regarding the gender of healthcare providers, and the stigmatization of women with cervical cancer.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study can be used to inform the development of culturally relevant cervical cancer education interventions aimed at addressing the psychological barriers to cervical cancer screening perceived by Ghanaian women.
Author List
Williams M, Kuffour G, Ekuadzi E, Yeboah M, ElDuah M, Tuffour PMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Culture
Early Detection of Cancer
Female
Ghana
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Mass Screening
Middle Aged
Papanicolaou Test
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Qualitative Research
Social Stigma
Surveys and Questionnaires
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
Vaginal Smears
Young Adult