Abstract:
Cervical cancer remains one of the major public health problems globally, despite the fact that
it is preventable and curable if identified at an early stage. Currently, cervical cancer is the
leading cause of death among women in Sub-Saharan Africa where the knowledge about the
disease is scarce among the affected population. Methods
A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted in Thulamela Municipality of Limpopo
Province. The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer prevention
among women in four villages in Thulamela Municipality. The population of the study was
composed of all women aged above 30 in the villages Malamulele, Mhinga, Muledane and
Phiphidi. A sample of one thousand five hundred and forty-six (1546) was drawn using random
sampling. Quantitative data were collected using a twenty-six-item questionnaire. The data
were coded and then processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to produce
frequency tables and descriptive statistics such as chi-square and correlation. Results
A number of findings were made in this study. The majority of the women in this study had little
or no knowledge about cervical cancer, human papilloma virus and vaccines. The majority of
the women had little or no knowledge on cervical cancer risk factors and how the disease is
spread. These findings were confirmed by chi-squared values at p<0.05 and showed
significant association between variables: that young women were likely to be aware of cervical
cancer compared to elderly women, educated women were more likely to be knowledgeable
about cervical cancer than those with low education attainment, elderly women were more
likely to be not worried about cervical cancer compared to young women. Correlation, Pearson
rho scores at p<0.05 showed significant correlations knowledge of cervical cancer and age
(negative), knowledge and education (positive). The findings signified the need for cervical
cancer prevention education in Vhembe District, and the need for primary health care nurses
to promote access to such services through robust health education.
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Recommendations
The study made a number of practical recommendations likely to educate women about
cervical cancer, human papilloma virus and its prevention. These include: The possibility of
large hospitals having their own small broadcasting stations that will frequently disseminate
information throughout the local municipalities, road shows and use of informal sector like
politicians and traditional healers in disseminating information.
