Awareness of cervical cancer prevention among rural dwellers in Enugu State, Nigeria: findings from Ituku outreach

Introduction: WHO's global target of eliminating cervical cancer is just 5 years away, and women living in low-resource settings like Nigeria may be left behind, because a significant proportion may not be aware of cervical cancer and its preventive measures. Thus, there is an urgent need to review and possibly scale up awareness of cervical cancer prevention among women residing in rural communities in Nigeria through free medical outreach programs. The aim of this study was to assess the level of awareness and perceptions of cervical cancer prevention among participants of a community health outreach program in Ituku, Enugu State, Nigeria.Methods: This mixed-methods study was a quantitative survey of 352 participants and qualitative interviews of 10 purposively selected women attendees at the 2024 free medical outreach at the community of Ituku, Awgu local government area, Enugu State. A pre-tested and validated questionnaire was used to collect data from participants. Quantitative data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, while thematic analysis was done for qualitative components.Results: Out of 525 eligible women who attended the health outreach, 352 (67.0%) were recruited into the study. Awareness of cervical cancer was reported by 27.8% (n=98) of respondents, while 27.3% (n=96) were aware of cervical cancer screening methods. Only 9.1% (n=32) had heard of HPV vaccination as a preventive measure, and 4.5% (n=16) were aware that HPV infection is a causative factor for cervical cancer. Only 4.5% (n=16) of respondents had ever undergone cervical cancer screening. Awareness of screening methods was associated with age of 40 years or less and being Roman Catholic, while willingness to vaccinate children was associated with having formal education.Conclusion: In a rural community in Enugu State, Nigeria, only 3 out of every 10 women were aware of cervical cancer and its preventive measures. Although 1 in every 10 knew that HPV vaccination prevents against cervical cancer, over 9 of 10 of them were willing to vaccinate their children. To join the global community in eliminating cervical cancer by 2030, there is an urgent need to intensify awareness campaigns through outreach programs targeting rural dwellers in low- and middle-income countries about cervical cancer, its etiology and prevention.