Cervical cancer risk factors and predictors of cervical dysplasia among women in south‐west Nigeria

Aim: This study identified predictors of cervical dysplasia and assessed the prevalence of risk factors for cervical cancer among women of different socioeconomic classes in Ogun State, Nigeria. Method: In a two‐phase study, self‐reported information on cervical cancer awareness, risk factors and cervical cancer screening practices was obtained from 278 randomly selected working women. A random subset was screened for dysplasia using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). Results: Of the 278 women, 126 (45.3%) were semi‐skilled while 152 (54.7%) were skilled and professional workers. Median age at first sexual intercourse was 19 years (range 13–29) and lower than the median age at first marriage (25 years). Gonorrhoea and genital warts were the commonest reported sexually transmitted infections. Only 12.2% of the women used male condoms as their primary method of birth control and 4.7% of the women had ever had a Papanicolaou smear, a practice that was significantly higher among the professional/skilled compared with semi‐skilled workers (P = 0.031). Of the 125 screened, 20 (16%) had positive VIA. Young age at first sex (≤17 years) (OR = 3.7 (95% CI, 1.07–12.8)) and early first marriage (<25 years) (3.3 (1.00–10.9)) were associated with a positive VIA. Women with lower parity (0–3) had borderline significantly increased risk of having a positive VIA (3.1 (0.9–10.6)). Women currently over 34 years and those without a history of sexually transmitted infections had lower risk of positive VIA (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Acceptable screening services and cervical cancer awareness campaigns that address modifiable risk factors are urgently needed in this community.