Cervical Cancer Screening among Female Refugees in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is mainly linked to infection with a high-risk oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV), with 85% of deaths occurring in developing countries. Refugees are less likely to be aware of screening methods and to have routine gynecological examinations. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving a total of 359 women aged 19–64 living in the Jerash camp in Jordan. Data were collected using a carefully developed and validated questionnaire. Results: A total of 359 participants were included in the study, with a mean age of 38.99 ± 10.53. Participants demonstrated fair knowledge of CC risk factors (4.77 ± 2.85 out of 11). Among the participants, 73.5% had heard of the cervical smear test; however, only 12.8% had actually undergone the test, with a mean total number of smear tests performed of 1.48 ± 0.79 and the mean age at the time of the first test was 32.5 ± 7.89. Conclusions: Refugee women have a fair level of knowledge of CC risk factors but are unmotivated to have a Pap smear test to screen for CC. Efforts should be made to raise awareness about the issue and promote testing for underrepresented women in refugee camps.

Keywords

• awareness
• cervical cancer
• human papillomavirus
• cervical smear
• cervical cancer screening
• risk factors