ABSTRACT
Cervical cancer is a disease with tremendous public health significance. It is the
leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality among women in Kenya.
Although curable through regular screening and treatment of precancerous
lesions, its incidence is on the rise in Eastern Africa and many women are
presenting with advanced disease leading to low survival rates. In Western
Kenya, it is the most common type of cancer affecting women. Patient delay
accounts for a large proportion of those who present with advanced disease in
developing countries. Reducing the time from onset of first symptoms to
diagnosis will effectively improve quality of life and prognosis of cervical
cancer patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the process
of symptom appraisal and determine socioeconomic, psychosocial, and cultural
and health system factors that contribute to patient delay in seeking medical care
for cervical cancer among women in two county referral hospitals in rural
Kenya. In the setting where the study was carried out, the prevalence of
HIV/AIDS is relatively high. There were 274 respondents who participated in
the study. Face to face interviews using a pretested structured questionnaire and
medical records review were carried out. Data was collected from all those who
met the inclusion criteria and had given their informed consent with the option
of voluntary withdrawal from the study at any stage. Descriptive and inferential
statistics were analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences version 21
(SPSS Inc, USA). Chi square test and logistic regression was used to derive
relationships between variables; results were considered significant with p value
≤0.05. Outcome measures were a description of determinants of late
presentation and diagnosis of cervical cancer. The findings indicate that 55% of
patients waited more than three months before seeking medical care mainly
because they did not appraise the symptoms as serious warranting medical
attention. This was despite majority (85%) of them having good access to
medical facilities. Psychosocial factors such as beliefs and perceptions held by
the patients about initial symptoms and availability of social support networks
were the most significant predictors of delay in seeking medical care. Age of
patient, education level, employment status, access to insurance, beliefs about
traditional medicine, knowledge of cervical cancer and preventative health
orientation of the respondents also contributed to delay in seeking care. In
conclusion, there is need to raise awareness about cancer to empower both the
public and health workers to recognize its signs and symptoms early and seek
treatment. There is a need for the patients to be economically empowered in
order to access available cancer care. They could be encouraged to enroll in the
National Health Insurance Fund in order to benefit from its various cancer
treatment packages.
NYANGASI, M (2021). Determinants Of Delay In Seeking Medical Care Among Women With Invasive Cervical Cancer In Western Kenya. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/determinants-of-delay-in-seeking-medical-care-among-women-with-invasive-cervical-cancer-in-western-kenya
NYANGASI, MARY "Determinants Of Delay In Seeking Medical Care Among Women With Invasive Cervical Cancer In Western Kenya" Afribary. Afribary, 02 Jun. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/determinants-of-delay-in-seeking-medical-care-among-women-with-invasive-cervical-cancer-in-western-kenya. Accessed 04 Oct. 2024.
NYANGASI, MARY . "Determinants Of Delay In Seeking Medical Care Among Women With Invasive Cervical Cancer In Western Kenya". Afribary, Afribary, 02 Jun. 2021. Web. 04 Oct. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/determinants-of-delay-in-seeking-medical-care-among-women-with-invasive-cervical-cancer-in-western-kenya >.
NYANGASI, MARY . "Determinants Of Delay In Seeking Medical Care Among Women With Invasive Cervical Cancer In Western Kenya" Afribary (2021). Accessed October 04, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/determinants-of-delay-in-seeking-medical-care-among-women-with-invasive-cervical-cancer-in-western-kenya