Moroccan Women's Attitudes Regarding Pap Smear Test and Adherence to Cervical Cancer Screening

In Morocco, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women after breast cancer. Encouraging more women to practice cervical cancer screening remains a major public health concern. There is a lack of data on awareness and of data concerning the determinants of the acceptability of Pap smear test in Morocco. To fill this gap, our study aims to assess the level of awareness of cervical cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among Moroccan women and to understand the determinants of the acceptability of Pap smear test. We conducted a cross-sectional study including 857 women in the following three Moroccan regions: Casablanca-settat, Marrakech-Safi, and Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, by using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire between November 2019 and February 2020. Out of the total sample, 83.9% of participants were aware of cervical cancer, 87.2% of participants were unaware of HPV, and 51.8% of participants were aware of Pap smear test. The rate of women who had ever had a Pap smear test in our population was only 19.36%. Moreover, our study revealed that more than 78% of participants were willing to undergo Pap smear test regularly in the future. The study revealed parity, age, educational level, risk perception, and the belief that early screening improves the chances of successful treatment, as determinants of acceptability of Pap smear test. Our results have shown that there is an urgent need to implement a strategy to sensitize women on the prevention of cervical cancer. Furthermore, the results of this study should be taken into account in the development of strategic and action plans for the prevention of cervical cancer.