Jordanian women's attitudes towards cervical screening and cervical cancer

This paper looks at Jordanian women's attitudes towards cervical screening and cervical cancer. The sample consisted of 600 women attending gynaecology clinics at King Hussein Medical Centre, Amman, Jordan. Seventy-five per cent of women had never had a smear before; however, the majority agreed that it is important; 34.5% of women did not know the significance of a positive cervical smear; 77% of women were not aware of causes of cervical cancer. Finally, when asked who would they like to take their cervical smear test, a clear preference was stated for a female doctor or a female nurse. These findings provide a useful background for developing strategies to increase the uptake of cervical smears among Jordanian women. It also emphasises the need to educate and promote awareness of women to risk factors for cervical cancer and to the need for screening programmes.