Cervical cancer screening uptake and correlates among HIV-infected women: a cross-sectional survey in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa

ObjectivesDespite the increasing number of interventions aiming to integrate cervical cancer screening into HIV clinics in sub-Saharan Africa, Women living with HIV (WLHIV) still have a high risk of developing cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to estimate the coverage of cervical cancer screening and associated factors among WLHIV in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.DesignCross-sectional survey conducted from May to August 2017.SettingsOutpatient setting in the four highest volume urban HIV clinics of government’s or non-governmental organisation’s sector in Côte d’Ivoire.ParticipantsAll WLHIV, aged 25–55 years, followed since at least 1 year, selected through a systematic sampling procedure.InterventionA standardised questionnaire administered to each participant by trained healthcare workers.OutcomeCervical cancer screening uptake.ResultsA total of 1991 WLHIV were included in the study, aged in median 42 years (IQR 37–47), and a median CD4 count (last known) of 563 (378-773) cells/mm3. Among the participants, 1913 (96.1%) had ever heard about cervical cancer, 1444 (72.5%) had been offered cervical cancer screening, mainly in the HIV clinic for 1284 (88.9%), and 1188 reported a personal history of cervical cancer screening for an overall coverage of 59.7% (95% CI 57.6 to 62.0). In multivariable analysis, university level (adjusted OR (aOR) 2.1; 95% CI 1.4 to 3.1, pConclusionInitiatives to support cervical cancer screening in HIV care programmes resulted in effective access to more than half of the WLHIV in Abidjan. Efforts are still needed to provide universal access to cervical cancer screening, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged WLHIV.