Knowledge and Practices of Cervical Cancer among Married Men in Rural Phalombe?

Authors:

Mthepheya CCL*

DOI: 10.23880/oajco-16000108

Volume 1, Issue 2

Abstract

Cancer of the cervix is still claiming the lives of women worldwide and Malawi has not been spared. Of the 16 countries with the highest incidence of cervical cancer in Africa, Malawi has the highest, with an incidence of 75.9. Being a reproductive disease, male involvement is critical as men control approximately 95% of sexual relationships in Malawi, but their role in cervical cancer prevention is not known. This study was carried out to investigate the knowledge and practices of married men regarding cervical cancer and screening.

Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 396 married men. Collected data were analyzed by using SPSS for Windows version 16.

Results: The majority of respondents were not knowledgeable about cervical cancer and cervical

Cancer screening, as 84.1% did not know the cause. Only 4% of respondents knew the risk factors. On prevention, 76.5% had no knowledge, and 68.2% had some knowledge on treatment. Almost all respondents (99%) said would encourage their spouses to undergo screening, and 71.7% said that men are responsible for deciding whether their spouse should access screening services or not.

Conclusion: Men demonstrated interest in taking part in cervical cancer prevention. This is a window of opportunity that the Ministry of Health can use to develop strategies that are tailored toward men to participate fully in cervical cancer prevention to reduce its burden.

Keywords:

Cervical cancer; Malawi; Male involvement; Knowledge

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