Women's health concern in Jordan: knowledge, practice and barriers toward cervical cancer screening

Purpose Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most important health issues faced by women worldwide. The purpose of this study is to identify Jordanian women's knowledge, barriers and measures pertaining to risk factors and screening choices of CC (Pap smear tests). Design/methodology/approach This study applied a cross sectional design by collecting data from a convenient sample of 200 women between 20 and 70 years of age in health and public centers in Jordan. Data was then analyzed using the descriptive statistical tools of SPSS, version 21. Findings The findings revealed that 55.5% of the participants had no information about the Pap smear, and 75% did not know the risk factors. Moreover, 50% of the sample did not know where to take the test, and 50% reported a lack of encouragement from the husband to undertake the test. More than half of the participants (56.5%) expressed fear that cervical screening would be a painful examination even though they reported not having any previous experience with the test. Originality/value Based on these findings, public education about CC screening is essential, including advertising and a campaign similar to the breast cancer awareness programs in Jordan, as a way of encouraging early screening to improve the health of women.