Awareness of Cervical Cancer, Willingness, and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening among Women in Madurai: A Cross-Sectional Study in South India

Bodhare, Trupti; Bele, Samir; Rajh, Bharath; Karthikeyan, Venkatesh; Jaseela, Salmathul; Rajashekar, Harisram

doi:10.31557/APJCP.2026.27.6.2053

Awareness of Cervical Cancer, Willingness, and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening among Women in Madurai: A Cross-Sectional Study in South India

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

¹ Department of Community & Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Madurai, India.

² Department of Community Medicine, Velammal Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Madurai, India.

³ Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar, India.

10.31557/APJCP.2026.27.6.2053

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate rural women’s knowledge and attitudes towards cervical cancer, their willingness to participate in cervical cancer screening, and the perceived obstacles to screening. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India, from February to July 2024, involving 350 women aged 25 to 65 years. Utilizing multistage random sampling, the study employed face-to-face interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire focused on knowledge and attitudes towards cervical cancer, as well as barriers to screening services. Data were analyzed using R programming (version 4.4.3). Results: Participants had a mean age of 33.83 ± 7.56 years, with 29.1% being illiterate. Only 15.7% had undergone cervical cancer screening. Approximately 68.3% and 66.8% expressed willingness to undergo cervical cancer screening if it were free or recommended by a doctor, respectively. Major barriers to screening included fear of falling sick after screening (65.1%), lack of awareness (64.3%), and the belief that screening is unnecessary at their age (64%). Women aged 35–44 years (3.21 ± 0.49, p = 0.05, β = -0.542), those who were non-working (3.14 ± 0.50, p = 0.02, β = -0.739), illiterate (3.21 ± 0.57, p = 0.04, β = -1.093), of lower socioeconomic class (3.09 ± 0.52, p = 0.05, β = -0.883), and those who had never undergone cervical cancer screening (3.07 ± 0.52, p = 0.02, β = -0.677) had significantly lower mean knowledge scores. Conclusion: The research highlights significant gaps in awareness and screening among rural women in Madurai, despite a positive attitude towards screening. Low participation rates stem from educational and socioeconomic barriers. The study’s regional focus may limit broader applicability, and social desirability bias may be a concern due to the use of interviewer-administered questionnaires. Enhancing the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam program in Tamil Nadu with targeted education and community involvement could boost awareness and screening rates.

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