ABSTRACT Background Cancer of the cervix is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women in underdeveloped countries. Worldwide, approximately 500,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year with 80% occurring in developing countries. Objective To assess the awareness and factors influencing the utilisation of cervical cancer screening among women in Ruhandagazi parish, Bushenyi district. Methods A community based cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted from November 25th - 29th 2013 in Ruhandagazi parish, Bushenyi district, Uganda. A total of 174 women aged 15- 65 years were interviewed using closed ended questionnaires by the researcher. SPSS Windows version 16.0 was employed for data entry and analysis. Result Of all the respondents, 88% of them had heard about cervical cancer but less than 20% of them were knowledgeable about the disease and only 9.2 heard ever gone for cervical cancer screening services. Conclusion The comprehensive knowledge of women on cervical cancer was found to be poor. A reason as to why the utilisation of screening services is very low. Community health education about xii the disease must include information on risk factors, sign and symptoms of cervical cancer. This will help women understand the severity of this cancer.
