The study was conducted to assess the women's knowledge and attitude towards cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening,to support the health education programs in this field.A total sample of 350 women (n =350),70 women from each health center was chosen based on a multistage sampling technique according to a number of 21 health centers that serve the population.One health center from each government was selected based on the population it serves,thus the health center with the highest population number was chosen.The main tool of data collection was a face to face interview questionnaire.When assessing the knowledge,atti-tude,and practice (KAP)of our sample,we observed that approximately equal percentages (70%)of women have heard of both Pap smear and cervical cancer.Only 47.4 % had ever had Pap smear and of those 35.1 %had it during a period of 5 years or less.The main source of knowledge for those who have done the procedure is the family physician (30.8%).When asked about the reason behind having a Pap smear,the majority (62.3 %)had it during postnatal visits.Nevertheless,those that didn't have it,almost half (46.6%)disap-proved to do so because they are healthy even after being told that Pap smear is a painless significant proce-dure.In conclusion,majority of respondents have a good knowledge about cervical cancer but is not reflected in their practice.The results strongly recommend continued health education for the women which can be a-chieved through the introduction of this topic into the schools'curriculum and planning educational programs within antenatal and postnatal visits.
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