AWARENESS AND UTILIZATION OF VISUAL INSPECTION WITH ACETIC – ACID FOR CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study aims at assessing the awareness, availability, and utilization of visual inspection with acetic-acid in cervical cancer screening among health workers in secondary health care institutions of Kaduna-state. An Ex-post facto design was used for the study. The study population comprises of all nurses, midwives, and nurse-midwives working in all the secondary healthcare institutions of the state. The sample size used for the study was 300 respondents using the Yamane sample size selection formula. The technique involved were stratified sampling method whereby the three existing senatorial zones served as strata. Each of the stratum was clustered according to the existing local government areas. A purposive sampling technique was further used to select nine local governments, three from each senatorial zone that have secondary health care institutions. A proportionate sampling technique was used at the various selected secondary health care institutions to distribute questionnaires to the health workers based on their total number. The instruments used for data collection was a modified four-point likert scale questionnaire which was structured. Three hundred (300) questionnaires was administered out of which (297) were retrieved. The data collected were analyzed using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and two sample t- test with a 0.05 level of confidence to test the hypotheses. A constant mean of 2.5 was used to ascertain the agreement of the respondents on the questionnaire items. Findings from the study shows that health workers in secondary healthcare institutions of Kaduna-state are not aware of using VIA in cervical cancer screening, VIA requirements are not available in the secondary health care institutions, as such they are not utilizing it in cervical cancer screening. There are significant differences in the demographic variables of (age-group, sex, professional category, years of working experience and secondary health care institutions) in the awareness, availability and utilization of VIA among health workers in secondary health care institutions of Kaduna-state where (p<0.05). It was therefore

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recommended that the state hospitals management board in collaboration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigerian should mount awareness campaign for health workers through seminars and workshops due to negative awareness of the health workers on VIA, also specialist VIA units should be created in the hospitals specifically for VIA screening services, this will go along way in utilizing VIA to screen for cervical cancer by the health workers thereby reducing the high incidence of the disease.

AWARENESS AND UTILIZATION OF VISUAL INSPECTION WITH ACETIC – ACID FOR CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN NIGERIA