Assessing Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitudes Toward Cervical Cancer and Screening Among Women: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

The study will determine the knowledge, attitude, and awareness of women aged 20-70 years residing in Lahore, Pakistan, regarding cervical cancer. It also aims to evaluate their awareness of and participation in cervical cancer screening practices. This study used a random sample of women aged 20-70 years living in Lahore, Pakistan. Women were selected from different parts of Lahore. The data collection tool was based on the cervical cancer awareness measure and was culturally adapted for the population of Lahore. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on a completed sample of 500 women. The final sample yield 73.9% response rate, which included highly educated women (90.6% holding undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications). Despite high formal education, the borderline of health literacy regarding cervical cancer symptoms and risk factors was significantly low, resulting in a mean total symptom score of 2.81± 2.52 out of 11. 11.2% of the participants were entirely unable to identify a single correct clinical symptom. Furthermore, preventive screening uptake was significantly deficient: 44.2% respondents reported no prior awareness or lifetime utilization of screening programs, and only 40.8% had participated in a screening program once in their lives. Higher general educational attainment among urban women in Lahore does not translate into sufficient reproductive health literacy. These findings imply a critical need to transition from opportunistic screening to systematic public health campaigns and university-based wellness interventions to bridge the life-saving prevention gap.