Predictors and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccination Uptake Among Female Undergraduates in a University, South East Nigeria

Predictors and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccination Uptake Among Female Undergraduates in a University, South East Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Predictors and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccination Uptake Among Female Undergraduates in a University, South East Nigeria Maureen Amaoge Nwokorie, Osaeloka C. Ekwueme, King-David Ikenna Ahuchaogu, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4549861/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract BACKGROUND: The main objective was to assess the predictors and barriers to cervical cancer screening and vaccination uptake among female undergraduates of University of Nigeria Enugu Campus. Early screening and vaccination are important keys to preventing cervical cancer. Hence, the study was geared at providing insights into the factors that influence screening behaviors and vaccination uptake among the respondents. MATERIALS & METHODS : A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted in this study to assess the predictors and barriers of cervical cancer screening and vaccination uptake. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was collected, queued in and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive analysis was done using percentages, frequencies, and standard deviation. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to draw associations between variables. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: 410 respondents satisfactorily completed the survey instrument. The study found that a small percentage (2.4%) of the respondents had received the HPV vaccine, and only 6.8% indicated having had a Pap smear test. Among those not screened (93.2%), lack of awareness (47.3%) was mentioned as the main barrier. Cost and attitude of health workers were the main barriers to vaccination uptake. The major predictors of cervical cancer screening uptake were awareness of the importance of regular cervical cancer screening (90.2%), and potential risk (84.9%). For HPV vaccination uptake, awareness regarding the potential risk of cervical cancer (mean = 3.54, SD = 1.340), awareness of effectiveness of HPV vaccination in preventing cervical cancer (mean = 3.23, SD = 1.036), and cost of HPV vaccine (mean = 3.21, SD = 1.084) were major predictors. Significant association was established between ethnicity (p = 0.006), faculties (p = 0.050) and vaccination uptake. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a low uptake of cervical cancer screening and vaccination. Factors contributing to low uptake include limited access to healthcare services, financial constraints and fear or discomfort associated with screening procedures. Targeted interventions and policies that promote accessibility, affordability, and acceptability of cervical cancer prevention services are recommended. Cervical Cancer Screening Vaccine Predictors Barriers Undergraduates South East Nigeria Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4549861","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":312902073,"identity":"301e3c1d-3d15-4825-8a02-34d38bb59bea","order_by":0,"name":"Maureen Amaoge Nwokorie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maureen","middleName":"Amaoge","lastName":"Nwokorie","suffix":""},{"id":312902075,"identity":"3ba9e661-616f-4a3e-aaf7-42f23f230e01","order_by":1,"name":"Osaeloka C. Ekwueme","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Osaeloka","middleName":"C.","lastName":"Ekwueme","suffix":""},{"id":312902076,"identity":"b07478c5-f7b0-4461-ae5b-7cc0fd1e0d04","order_by":2,"name":"King-David Ikenna Ahuchaogu","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Headquarters","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"King-David","middleName":"Ikenna","lastName":"Ahuchaogu","suffix":""},{"id":312902077,"identity":"c93c9140-18ad-4bfd-8b47-64f9883168cd","order_by":3,"name":"Ugonma Winnie Dozie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Federal University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ugonma","middleName":"Winnie","lastName":"Dozie","suffix":""},{"id":312902078,"identity":"ec82a213-d4a8-4c96-9ec7-c2bc4f3c4f76","order_by":4,"name":"Chinonye Uchechukwu Ezue","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Nigeria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chinonye","middleName":"Uchechukwu","lastName":"Ezue","suffix":""},{"id":312902080,"identity":"204f9f97-2707-4e3b-9d4f-51866a80d1af","order_by":5,"name":"Ifeanyi Ikenna Ofonere","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Evangel University Akaeze","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ifeanyi","middleName":"Ikenna","lastName":"Ofonere","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-08 09:23:21","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4549861/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4549861/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":62569751,"identity":"65a0fbe4-01df-46c8-bdaa-f580aaa9f38e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-16 02:56:09","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":346662,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"PREDICTORSANDBARRIERSTOCERVICALCANCERSCREENINGANDVACCINATIONUPTAKEAMONGFEMALEUNIVERSITYUNDERGRADUATES.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4549861/v1_covered_cc0dbc17-a52f-40dc-b340-d990c32f6e98.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003ePredictors and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccination Uptake Among Female Undergraduates in a University, South East Nigeria\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Cervical Cancer, Screening, Vaccine, Predictors, Barriers, Undergraduates, South East Nigeria","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4549861/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4549861/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBACKGROUND:\u003c/strong\u003e The main objective was to assess the predictors and barriers to cervical cancer screening and vaccination uptake among female undergraduates of University of Nigeria Enugu Campus. Early screening and vaccination are important keys to preventing cervical cancer. Hence, the study was geared at providing insights into the factors that influence screening behaviors and vaccination uptake among the respondents.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMATERIALS \u0026amp; METHODS\u003c/strong\u003e: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted in this study to assess the predictors and barriers of cervical cancer screening and vaccination uptake. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was collected, queued in and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive analysis was done using percentages, frequencies, and standard deviation. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to draw associations between variables. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRESULTS:\u003c/strong\u003e 410 respondents satisfactorily completed the survey instrument. The study found that a small percentage (2.4%) of the respondents had received the HPV vaccine, and only 6.8% indicated having had a Pap smear test. Among those not screened (93.2%), lack of awareness (47.3%) was mentioned as the main barrier. Cost and attitude of health workers were the main barriers to vaccination uptake. The major predictors of cervical cancer screening uptake were awareness of the importance of regular cervical cancer screening (90.2%), and potential risk (84.9%). For HPV vaccination uptake, awareness regarding the potential risk of cervical cancer (mean = 3.54, SD = 1.340), awareness of effectiveness of HPV vaccination in preventing cervical cancer (mean = 3.23, SD = 1.036), and cost of HPV vaccine (mean = 3.21, SD = 1.084) were major predictors. Significant association was established between ethnicity (p = 0.006), faculties (p = 0.050) and vaccination uptake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCONCLUSION:\u003c/strong\u003e The study revealed a low uptake of cervical cancer screening and vaccination. Factors contributing to low uptake include limited access to healthcare services, financial constraints and fear or discomfort associated with screening procedures. Targeted interventions and policies that promote accessibility, affordability, and acceptability of cervical cancer prevention services are recommended.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Predictors and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Vaccination Uptake Among Female Undergraduates in a University, South East Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-06-25 18:00:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4549861/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"64422300-3537-487d-9ea6-b7fc3a97ac11","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 25th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-08-16T02:48:02+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-06-25 18:00:58","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4549861","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4549861","identity":"rs-4549861","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}