Table 2.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Barriers Toward Alternative Technologies for Cervical Cancer Prevention, Bolivia, 2011–2012 (n = 42)
| Item | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Knowledge | |
| HPV infection and HPV vaccinea | |
| HPV increases risk for vaginal cancer | 13 (31.0) |
| Most women with HPV infection are asymptomatic | 39 (95.1) |
| HPV infection cause most cases of cervical cancer | 37 (92.5) |
| HPV vaccine protects against 2 types of HPV | 39 (92.9) |
| HPV vaccine may protect against vulvar cancer | 18 (42.9) |
| HPV vaccine may help prevent penile cancer | 10 (24.4) |
| Perceived effectiveness of screening testsb | |
| HPV | 14 (46.7) |
| VIA | 23 (57.5) |
| Cytology | 12 (30.8) |
| Familiar with the advantages of the self-collected HPV test | 7 (17.1) |
| Attitudes on VIA and cryotherapy | |
| Acceptability | |
| Think patients would accept VIA and cryotherapyc | 41 (100.0) |
| Think their colleagues would accept VIA and cryotherapy | 29 (70.7) |
| Think VIA should replace the Pap test | 25 (61.0) |
| Think VIA and cryotherapy would have an impact on other health services | 30 (75.0) |
| Think performing VIA and cryotherapy in a single visit is not feasible in their specific health facility | 17 (41.5) |
| 3 main challenges to implement a single visit screen-and-treat approachd | |
| Lack of equipment | 14 (87.5) |
| Lack of capacity | 8 (50.0) |
| Few health professionals in hospital/health center | 4 (25.0) |
| Attitudes on HPV testing and HPV vaccine | |
| Would recommend the HPV vaccine to female patients | 38 (92.7) |
| Think incorporation of HPV testing is feasible within 5 years | 8 (42.1) |
| Perceived barriers for early detection of cervical cancere | |
| General barriers | |
| Cultural | 31 (75.6) |
| Political | 2 (5.0) |
| Economic | 3 (7.5) |
| Organizational | 4 (10.0) |
| Specific barriersf | |
| The taboo about Pap testing among women | 30 (71.4) |
| Lack of educational campaigns and infrastructure | 22 (52.4) |
| Lack of dissemination of screening guidelines | 17 (40.5) |
| Lack of knowledge about cervical cancer | 16 (38.1) |
| Lack of priority given to women’s health | 13 (31.0) |
| Lack of infrastructure and organization of the Bolivian healthcare system | 12 (28.6) |
| The belief that cancer cannot be prevented | 9 (21.4) |
| The stigma related to cervical cancer for being a sexually transmitted illness | 6 (14.3) |
| Level of awareness among patients about getting screened for cervical cancer | |
| High | 2 (4.8) |
| Moderate | 15 (35.7) |
| Low | 22 (52.4) |
| None | 3 (7.1) |
All items were asked at pretest except for those related to attitudes on specific procedures.
a
No. of correct responses.
b
No. of participants who reported that the test is very effective.
c
n = 41.
d
Participants were instructed to check all that apply. Only the most cited categories are presented.
e
Participants were given 4 barriers and asked to list them according to their level of importance in preventing early detection of cervical cancer.
f
Participants were asked to select 3 of the 8 barriers listed.
HPV, human papillomavirus; VIA, visual inspection with acetic acid.