Jordanian women’s attitudes towards cervical cancer screening: has the pattern changed?
The objective of this study was to report the current Jordanian rate of cervical smear test uptake, and study changes in women's attitude to the smear test since the last published report in 2002. A prospective cross-sectional study of Jordanian women who at the time of the study were living in Jordan. The study period was from December 1 2018 to December 31 2018. Six hundred and twelve women were recruited, and the mean age was 36 years. Thirty-eight percent of the women in the study said they had had a smear test before. Of those who had ever had a test, 88% did so as a routine test. Of women who had never had a smear test, 61% said they had heard about the test, 50% of them did not give a 'logical' reason for not having a test. While the current rate is less than in 2002, more women recognised the test as being important. While the rate of cervical smear test uptake in Jordan remained low (38%), it is better than the rate in 2002 of 25.5%. Severe deficiencies in the knowledge of the test exist. Implementing a national cervical screening programme supported by media-led health education and promotion is likely to increase the test uptake and reduce incidence of cervical cancer.Impact statement