Women's knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding cervical precancerous lesions: a cross-sectional study in Beijing, China.

Background: This study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of women in Beijing regarding cervical precancerous lesions.
Methods: This web-based, cross-sectional study included women at Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine between March 13, 2024 and April 9, 2024. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to collect participants' demographic information and KAP scores toward cervical precancerous lesions.
Results: The study included 951 valid questionnaires, with a mean age of 40.0 years. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 12.55 ± 6.23 (possible range: 0-26), 50.66 ± 7.48 (possible range: 13-65), and 26.13 ± 4.98 (possible range: 7-35), respectively. The knowledge score (OR = 1.071, 95%CI: 1.040-1.103, p  < 0.001), currently married (OR = 0.548, 95%CI: 0.304-0.985, p  = 0.045), and with a history of HPV infection (OR = 2.302, 95%CI: 1.062-4.990, p  = 0.035) were independently associated with the attitude score. The knowledge score (OR = 1.155, 95%CI: 1.119-1.192, p  < 0.001), monthly income >20,000 (OR = 2.793, 95%CI: 1.249-6.248, p  = 0.012), a history of HPV infection (OR = 0.380, 95%CI: 0.222-0.650, p  < 0.001), unknown HPV infection status (OR = 0.289, OR = 0.177-0.473, p < 0.001), vaccinated against HPV (OR = 1.752, 95%CI: 1.221-2.514, p  = 0.002), giving birth to one child (OR = 1.991, 95%CI: 1.186-3.341, p  = 0.009), and giving birth to two or more children (OR = 2.160, 95%CI: 1.240-3.763, p  = 0.007) were independently associated with the practice score. The structured equation model showed that knowledge directly influenced attitude ( β  = 0.237, p  = 0.004) and practice ( β  = 0.490, p  = 0.010). Attitude directly influenced practice ( β  = 0.193, p  = 0.009).
Conclusion: This study revealed inadequate knowledge, moderate attitude, and practice toward cervical precancerous lesions among women in Beijing. Educational interventions should be developed to enhance knowledge in this regard.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 Wang, Wang, Zhou and Liu.)