Adolescent Girls' Knowledge and Sources of Information on Cervical Cancer: A Comparative Study of Accra High School and Atiavi Senior High Technical School Students

Abstract

This comparative study assessed the knowledge of adolescent girls on cervical cancer and its prevention in Ghana using a senior high school in an urban area (Accra High School) and a senior high school in a rural area (Atiavi Senior High Technical School). The choice of the two schools was motivated by the expectation that students in these schools will differ significantly in terms of their socioeconomic backgrounds which was duly confirmed. The study determined whether socioeconomic variables affected the knowledge and preference for sources of information on the disease among the adolescent girls. It also sought to find out if adolescent girls who perceived that they were at risk of getting cervical cancer sought information on it and its prevention. The study was undertaken within the framework of the knowledge gap hypothesis and the health belief model. A survey was conducted to collect data from adolescent girls from the two schools. The study found that adolescent girls from Accra High School, who were from relatively higher socioeconomic backgrounds, had a higher level of knowledge of cervical cancer than respondents from Atiavi Senior High Technical School, who were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. However, their preferred sources of information were not influenced by their socioeconomic background since they all preferred medical personnel. The most common source from which the respondents got information on cervical cancer was television (19.2%). In addition, the study found that adolescent girls who perceived that they were at risk of getting cervical cancer are not likely to seek information on the disease and its prevention