Abstract:

Background: The rise in cervical cancer trends in the past two decades has coincided with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic especially in the sub-Saharan African region, with it being the fourth most common cancer among women globally with an estimate of 604000 new cases and 342000 deaths in 2020. Tanzania had the fourth highest incidence rate of cervical cancer in the world with 59.1 new cases per 100,000 women (age-standardized to the world population) as reported in 2018.

Aim: this study aims to reveal awareness about cervical cancer and its related lifestyle factors among women and through this study findings I expect this study to provide insights into potential interventions, including educational programs and lifestyle modifications to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in this population.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used, which included all women who attended gynecology department at Bugando Medical Centre.
Results: There were 206 participants who completed questionnaire; majority were between age 18 to 40 from urban areas. The study revealed that majority of the study population 57.3% had poor awareness about cervical cancer risk factors, while 80.1% of the total population had a positive attitude.

Conclusion: Cervical cancer can be prevented if women will keep themselves from the possible risk factors. Therefore, effective information, education and communication strategies are required to improve the level of awareness of women on Cervical Cancer. At BMC, the results of this work will help to inform the organization about the knowledge status of their patients towards cancer related risk factors and how educational programs and health policies will be beneficial to raise their awareness and positive attitude about their health.