Background
Worldwide
cervical cancer is one of the more common forms of carcinoma among women,
causing high morbidity and high mortality. Despite being a major health problem
in Tanzania, screening services for cervical cancer are very limited, and
uptake of those services is low. We therefore conducted a study to investigate
utilization of cancer screening services, and its associated factors among
female primary school teachers in Ilala Municipality, Dar es Salaam.
Method
We
conducted a cross-sectional study between May – August 2011 which involved 110
primary schools in Ilala Municipality in Dar es Salaam. Five hundred and twelve
female primary school teachers were sampled using a two-stage cluster sampling
procedure. Data on utilization of cervical cancer and risk factors were
collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Proportional utilization of
cervical cancer screening services was identified through a self report. Risk
factors for services utilization were assessed using logistic regression
analyses.
Results
Out
of 512 female primary school teachers, only 108 (21 %) reported to ever
been screened for cervical cancer.
Utilization
of cervical cancer screening services was 28 % among those aged 20–29,
22 % among married and 24 % among those with higher level of
education. Women were more likely to utilize the cancer-screening service if
they were multiparous (age-adjusted OR = 3.05, 95 % CI 1.15–8.06, P value 0.025), or reported more than one
lifetime sexual partner (age-adjusted OR 2.17, 95 % CI 1.04–4.54, P value
0.038), or did not involve their spouse in making health decisions (adjusted OR
3.56, 95 % CI 2.05–6.18, P value <0.001).
Conclusion
The
study has demonstrated low level of utilization of cervical cancer screening
service among female primary school teachers in Ilala munipality. Female
primary school teachers with more than one previous pregnancy and those with
more than one life-time sex partners were more likely to report utilization of
the service. Spouse or partners support was an important factor in the
utilization of cervical cancer screening service amongst the study population.
Below: A map of Ilala District
Full article at: http://goo.gl/9zW8IX
1World Health Organization, Tanzania Country
Office, Dar es Salaam, P O Box 9292, Tanzania
2National Institute for Medical Research,
Mwanza Medical Research Center, Mwanza, P O Box 1452, Tanzania
3Muhimbili University of Health and Allied
Sciences (MUHAS), Dar Es Salaam, P O Box 67005, Tanzania
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