RESEARCH TITLE
AWARENESS AND BARRIERS TOWARDS CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING AMONG WOMEN STUDENTS OF
MEDICAL COLLEGES OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES
Why do you want to study that topic?
Cervical cancer screening is not frequently discussed in this area, so we are interested to see whether or
not the students were adequately informed about it and what are the existing barriers that affects their
level of awareness.
Additionally, this research topic can aid policymakers and healthcare professionals in identifying
knowledge gaps, focusing education programs, and eventually improving cervical cancer early diagnosis
and prevention, which can save lives. This could also help increase their knowledge and awareness about
cervical cancer
Who are the respondents
The respondents will be the mcnp students and will be chosen with the use of quota sampling
technique, means that chosen elements from the population are at random and not every member of
the population has equal chance of being chosen to be a part sample group.
What do we expect
How will you conduct the study
1. Identify the research questions –
What is the level of awareness of the respondents on cervical cancer screening
What is the level awareness of the respondents on the process of cervical cancer screening
What are the barriers in accessing cervical cancer screening services
2. Then conduct literature review regarding the research topic
3. Outline the objectives, methodology and research design
4. 1. Rearchers will identify profile of the respondents
OVERVIEW OF CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING
Cervical cancer screening is an effective method to reduce incidence. Although most women had heard
of cervical cancer screening, their understanding of HPV and cervical cancer causes, risk factors, and
preventative interventions was limited. Screening utilization was substantially associated with older age
and higher education status. However, there was no correlation between knowledge and perceived
vulnerability and severity. The primary reason for screening was a health professional’s request or
recommendation, while the primary reasons for not screening were expense, lack of symptoms, and fear
of pain or discomfort and/or embarrassment during the process. Health education must raise women’s
understanding about HPV, cervical cancer, and screening, including the nature and course of cervical
cancer, the benefits of screening, the cost of screening, and the screening technique. Women’s health
care providers play a vital role in educating and pushing them to get screened (Imoto et.al., 2020)
Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in cervical cancer incidence among women in
the Philippines (Lintao et.al, 2022 ). Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is the
well-established necessary cause of cervical cancer. The entirely preventable disease is the second
leading cause of cancer among women in the philippines (Harty et.al., 2023).Consequently, the existing
national cervical cancer screening program has utilized visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) as its
primary screening test, targeting women aged 25–55 every 5–7 years (World Health Organization, 2021).
Despite this, fewer than one in ten Filipino women have been screened in the past five years (World
Health Organization, 2021), suggesting that other factors, such as lack of access, lack of awareness, and
lack of trained VIA providers, may complicate screening uptake.
According to the study of Lintao et.al., 2022, Among those diagnosed with cervical cancer in the
Philippines, only an estimated 50% to 60% receive some form of treatment. To this end, we summarize
the burden of HPV infection and cervical cancer on Filipinos and the risk factors associated with the
disease. We present the current screening, diagnostics, treatment, and prevention of HPV-related
diseases in the Philippines. Lastly, we also propose solutions on how each building block in health
systems can be improved to eliminate HPV infection and reduce the burden of cervical cancer in the
Philippines.
Knowledge on cervical cancer as an influence to utilization of screening services.
The most common hurdles at the individual level were a lack of information and awareness of both
screening and cervical cancer in general. Social challenges were mostly caused by widespread
misconceptions in the society, whereas cultural/traditional, religious, and family barriers included
screening bans and unsupportive partners and families. Barriers to the health system included
programmatic and policy issues, and geographical, educational, and financial constraints. These barriers
were caused by a lack of knowledge about cervical cancer and screening as a preventive measure,
underfunded health systems that either lacked policies or implemented them ineffectively, generally
restricted access to health services, and gender norms that prioritize men’s needs over women’s health
(Petersen et. Al., 2022)
Early identification and timely screening have become exceedingly challenging due to a lack of
knowledge about cervical cancer among the general public and healthcare professionals, as well as to
the restricted access to healthcare facilities. Awareness is crucial because it allows people to better
comprehend the condition, which allows them to identify problem areas and take the necessary steps to
fix them. We can use an effective approach of behavior change communication to control the disease if
individuals are aware of cervical cancer (Chandana et. Al., 2020)
In the study conducted by Manikatdan et.al., 2020 , they intended to assess the knowledge and attitudes
toward cervical cancer screening and prevention among 100 professional college female students with a
mean age of 18 years. All the respondents were single. Majority of the respondents were not aware
about the cervical cancer, PAP smear testing, and human papillomavirus vaccine. Therefore they
concluded that these findings suggest that the majority of the students who took part in our survey were
unaware about cervical cancer prevention and screening. Cervical cancer develops slowly, is curable, and
can be prevented with screening, making cervical cancer deaths heartbreaking. Before the women reach
the appropriate ages for screening and vaccination, it is crucial to address unfavorable attitudes and
information gaps.
BARRIERS ON CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING
Cost of Cervical screening as an influence to their utilization.
Access to cancer screening remains a challenge for many women in low- and middle-income countries
(LMICs). In the Philippines, a large lower-middle income country in Southeast Asia with over 50 million
women (World Bank, 2022), multiple barriers preclude access to cancer screening, including low health
literacy, high out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare costs, and the centralization of healthcare infrastructure
and providers in the island of Luzon, where the capital is located (Dayrit et al., 2018).
Cultural expectations to shoulder most reproductive responsibilities compound this, leading some to
take informal, low-income work arrangements that limit organization for collective bargaining and leave
them inadequately covered by social protection in times of illness (Philippine Commission on Women,
2020). As a result, many Filipino women delay or ignore preventive healthcare measures, seeking
medical attention only when the disease becomes evident.
Accessibility of the screening services as an influence of utilization
According to the study of Habtu et. al., 2018. Cervical cancer screening has been consistently shown to
be effective in reducing the incidence rate or the occurrence of new cervical cancer cases and mortality
from cervical cance. Perhaps, cervical cancer screening facilities are limited because of poor
infrastructure, staff, poor knowledge about cervical cancer, and illiteracy; the uptake of cervical cancer
screening is poor among women who live in the places where the screening facilities are available.
WHO, ICO. Human papillomavirus and related cancers in Ethiopia. In Summary report. 2009 [Google
Scholar]
Challenges of cervical cancer screening in developing countries include limited access to health services
and laboratories, no screening programs, limited or nonexistent awareness among populations and
health workers, and poor referral and follow up.
Ashied AM, Abbas IM. Barriers for up taking the Pap smear among nurse-midwives in Baghdad City
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Most women in rural areas may not avail themselves during cervical cancer screening and HPV
vaccination due to lack of knowledge, insufficient funding for health service, and high poverty rates (11).
It has been generally acknowledged that health disparities are largely influenced by sociodemographic
factors like welfare, unemployment, education, social and health care services, work environment,
housing, and living.
Bambra C, Gibson M, Sowden A, Wright K, Whitehead M, Petticrew M. Tackling the wider social
determinants of health and health inequalities: evidence from systematic reviews. J Epidemiol
Community Health. (2010) 64:284–91. Doi: 10.1136/jech.2008.082743
4.6 Sociocultural factors
4.7 Many cultural beliefs might hinder women from partaking in screening programs for cervical
cancer. People do not visit health facilities until at advanced stage of their illness. Herbal
medicines and use of the patent medicine dealers´ services are the most prevalent form of
health service readily used by indigenes. These could result to many chronic and preventable
diseases including cervical cancer.
On the other hand, involving faith-based organization in prevention programs like cervical cancer
prevention is an effective means of achieving good health among community members. This is because
any program that is church based has a lot of impact on the masses. Religious leaders are among the
most powerful stakeholders in the society so any prevention strategy using the church will go a long way
in achieving its purpose.
Abugu, L. I. , Nwagu, E. N.,(2021) Awareness, knowledge and screening for cervical cancer among
women of a faith-based organization in Nigeria 39 doi: 10.11604/pamj.2021.39.200.23761]
