,
Lyda Saurelle Kom,
Esther Dina Bell,
Veronique Batoum Mboua,
Etienne Atenguena,
Arielle Fonkou,
Claire Baskouda,
Line Medjo,
Christelle Ngono Yeme,
Rosine Ngono,
Zacharie Sando,
Louise Ngo Likeng
Introduction: Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common cancer among women in Cameroon, with 2,525 new cases and 1,837 deaths estimated in 2022. Despite the critical importance of screening, national participation remains low (8%–19.6%). This study explored perceptions and barriers to CC screening among non-screened women living in a densely populated urban district of Yaoundé. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in the Biyem-Assi Health District from September to October 2023. Eleven purposively selected women aged 24–57 years who had never undergone screening were interviewed using semi-structured guides. Data were analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis and interpreted using the Health Belief Model (HBM). Results: Participants perceived CC as severe but showed marked cognitive dissonance: eight women believed screening was unnecessary, often citing fatalism (“If I must be sick, it is God’s decision”). Barriers included cost, fear of results, mistrust of screening quality, and limited health promotion. Systemic gaps-particularly poor outreach and confusion between screening and late-stage diagnosis-further reduced perceived benefits. Conclusion: Non-participation in CC screening results from intertwined psychological, socioeconomic, and systemic barriers. Suggested implications include strengthening communication strategies to address fatalism, improving screening affordability, and enhancing community-level awareness.
| Published in | International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research (Volume 10, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17 |
| Page(s) | 172-176 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Cervical Cancer, Screening, Phenomenology, Barriers, Fatalism, Health Belief Model, Cameroon
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APA Style
Mapioko, B. S. E., Kom, L. S., Bell, E. D., Mboua, V. B., Atenguena, E., et al. (2025). Perceptions and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening: A Phenomenological Analysis in an Urban Health District in Cameroon. International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research, 10(4), 172-176. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17
ACS Style
Mapioko, B. S. E.; Kom, L. S.; Bell, E. D.; Mboua, V. B.; Atenguena, E., et al. Perceptions and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening: A Phenomenological Analysis in an Urban Health District in Cameroon. Int. J. Clin. Oncol. Cancer Res. 2025, 10(4), 172-176. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17,
author = {Berthe Sabine Esson Mapioko and Lyda Saurelle Kom and Esther Dina Bell and Veronique Batoum Mboua and Etienne Atenguena and Arielle Fonkou and Claire Baskouda and Line Medjo and Christelle Ngono Yeme and Rosine Ngono and Zacharie Sando and Louise Ngo Likeng},
title = {Perceptions and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening:
A Phenomenological Analysis in an Urban Health District in Cameroon},
journal = {International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research},
volume = {10},
number = {4},
pages = {172-176},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijcocr.20251004.17},
abstract = {Introduction: Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common cancer among women in Cameroon, with 2,525 new cases and 1,837 deaths estimated in 2022. Despite the critical importance of screening, national participation remains low (8%–19.6%). This study explored perceptions and barriers to CC screening among non-screened women living in a densely populated urban district of Yaoundé. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in the Biyem-Assi Health District from September to October 2023. Eleven purposively selected women aged 24–57 years who had never undergone screening were interviewed using semi-structured guides. Data were analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis and interpreted using the Health Belief Model (HBM). Results: Participants perceived CC as severe but showed marked cognitive dissonance: eight women believed screening was unnecessary, often citing fatalism (“If I must be sick, it is God’s decision”). Barriers included cost, fear of results, mistrust of screening quality, and limited health promotion. Systemic gaps-particularly poor outreach and confusion between screening and late-stage diagnosis-further reduced perceived benefits. Conclusion: Non-participation in CC screening results from intertwined psychological, socioeconomic, and systemic barriers. Suggested implications include strengthening communication strategies to address fatalism, improving screening affordability, and enhancing community-level awareness.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Perceptions and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening: A Phenomenological Analysis in an Urban Health District in Cameroon AU - Berthe Sabine Esson Mapioko AU - Lyda Saurelle Kom AU - Esther Dina Bell AU - Veronique Batoum Mboua AU - Etienne Atenguena AU - Arielle Fonkou AU - Claire Baskouda AU - Line Medjo AU - Christelle Ngono Yeme AU - Rosine Ngono AU - Zacharie Sando AU - Louise Ngo Likeng Y1 - 2025/12/29 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17 DO - 10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17 T2 - International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research JF - International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research JO - International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research SP - 172 EP - 176 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2578-9511 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcocr.20251004.17 AB - Introduction: Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common cancer among women in Cameroon, with 2,525 new cases and 1,837 deaths estimated in 2022. Despite the critical importance of screening, national participation remains low (8%–19.6%). This study explored perceptions and barriers to CC screening among non-screened women living in a densely populated urban district of Yaoundé. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in the Biyem-Assi Health District from September to October 2023. Eleven purposively selected women aged 24–57 years who had never undergone screening were interviewed using semi-structured guides. Data were analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis and interpreted using the Health Belief Model (HBM). Results: Participants perceived CC as severe but showed marked cognitive dissonance: eight women believed screening was unnecessary, often citing fatalism (“If I must be sick, it is God’s decision”). Barriers included cost, fear of results, mistrust of screening quality, and limited health promotion. Systemic gaps-particularly poor outreach and confusion between screening and late-stage diagnosis-further reduced perceived benefits. Conclusion: Non-participation in CC screening results from intertwined psychological, socioeconomic, and systemic barriers. Suggested implications include strengthening communication strategies to address fatalism, improving screening affordability, and enhancing community-level awareness. VL - 10 IS - 4 ER -
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
School of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
School of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaounde, Cameroon
