Knowledge, Attitudes, and Health-Seeking Behavior for Cervical, Breast, and Oral Cancers Among Women in Jashore, Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to assess cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, screening behaviors, and willingness to engage in community-based screening for cervical, breast, and oral cancers among women in rural Bangladesh, with the goal of informing the design of a scalable, national cancer screening strategy.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,046 eligible women (age ≥ 30 years or married ≥ 10 years) in Nawly village, Jashore, Bangladesh. Trained interviewers administered a structured questionnaire assessing sociodemographics, cancer knowledge, attitudes, screening behaviors, and willingness to participate in organized screening. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression models identified predictors of knowledge, participation, and willingness.

Results: Although 75.4% of women were aware of cervical cancer, only 28.3% correctly identified screening intervals. Awareness of breast and oral cancer screening was lower (11.5% and 6.2%, respectively). Participation in cervical cancer screening was 18.2%, and <1% for breast or oral cancer. However, willingness to participate in future community-based screening was high (>89% across all cancer types). Higher education and income were significantly associated with better knowledge and increased screening participation. Fear and misconceptions were the most common barriers among those unwilling to participate.

Conclusion: Despite limited screening uptake, there is strong community readiness for organized cancer screening. These findings underscore the need for tailored education campaigns and scalable, community-based programs to enhance early cancer detection in low-resource settings such as Bangladesh.