EVALUATION OF EXPERTISE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING AMONG MARKET WOMEN IN PORT HARCOURT METROPOLIS

Cervical cancer remains an important public health problem among women, despite being largely preventable through human papillomavirus vaccination, regular screening, early detection, and appropriate treatment of precancerous lesions. This study assessed the expertise, attitude and practice of cervical cancer screening among market women in Port Harcourt Metropolis Rivers State. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The population comprised 1,200 eligible market women across selected markets inPort Harcourt Metropolis  Area, from which a sample size of 300 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and respondents were selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages and mean scores, with a criterion mean of 2.50 for the Likert-scale items. The hypothesis was tested using the Pearson Chi-square test at 0.05 level of significance.The findings indicated a relatively high level of expertise of cervical cancer screening, with a grand mean of 3.23. Respondents also demonstrated a favourable attitude towards cervical cancer screening, with a grand mean of 3.31. However, actual screening practice was comparatively low, as the mean scores for having undergone screening and using a health facility or screening centre were both 2.32, although intention to undergo screening regularly was high (mean = 3.21). The identified factors influencing screening practice included cost (mean = 3.30), inadequate information on where and how to access screening (mean = 3.17), and fear or embarrassment associated with screening (mean = 3.11). The hypothesis test produced a Pearson Chi-square value of 8.57 with 1 degree of freedom and a p-value of 0.003, indicating a statistically significant association between expertise level and screening practice in the study dataset. The study concludes that although market women demonstrated relatively good expertise and favourable attitudes towards cervical cancer screening, these did not consistently translate into actual screening utilization. The study recommends strengthened market-based health education, affordable and accessible screening services, appropriate counselling, confidential and women-friendly screening environments, and improved information on available screening services and referral pathways.