Precancerous Lesion of the Cervix and Associated Factors Among Women of West Wollega, West Ethiopia, 2022.

Background: Precancerous cervical lesion is an abnormality in the cells of the cervix that could eventually develop into cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a public health problem that contributes to the death of women worldwide. In line with the high burden of the issue, the Ethiopian government had attempted to expand cervical cancer screening centers and recommendation of services to age-eligible as well as high-risk groups of women. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the prevalence of precancerous lesions of cervix cancer among women aged 30-49 years and associated factors in West Wollega.

Method: Facility-based analytic cross-sectional study design was conducted in selected hospitals of West Wollega from January 1- February 20, 2022, among 339 women. A face-to-face interview was conducted and the presence or absence of precancerous cervical lesion was tested by visual inspection with acetic acid. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 25. Variable with -value <.25 in the bi-variable analysis were entered into multivariable logistic regression. Results with a -value ≤ .05 at 95% confidence level were considered for statistical significance.

Result: The prevalence of precancerous cervical lesions was 27.4% (95% CI: 22.7%32.1%). The mean standard deviation of participants was 35.22 +6.32 years. More than half (63.4%) and 67.6% of them were regarded as having good knowledge and a favorable attitude towards precancerous cervical lesions respectively. History of menstrual irregularity had two folds higher odds of being diagnosed with the precancerous cervical lesion when compared with counterparts at, [AOR = 2.29(95% CI:1.29-4.04]. Women with a history of STI had 3.5 times higher odds of developing precancerous cervical lesion compared to women with no history of STI [AOR)=3.46(95% CI:1.94-6.18)], history of bleeding after sexual intercourse was 2.88 times more likely to have precancerous cervical lesion compared to those without it at [AOR=2.88(95% CI:1.43-5.78)]. Parity greater than or equal to five had 2.4 times higher odds of developing precancerous cervical lesions compared to women with parity less than five at [AOR=2.41(95% CI: 1.23-4.75)]. History of steroid use had 3.5 times higher odds of developing precancerous cervical lesion compared with opponents at [AOR=3.5(95% CI: 1.32-9.34) and women with an Unfavorable attitude towards screening for Cervical cancer screening, prevention, and control methods had 2.2 times higher odds of developing precancerous cervical lesion compared their counterpart at [AOR=2.15(95% CI: 1.21-3.83)].

Conclusion: The precancerous cervical lesions continue to be a significant public health concern in Ethiopia. It will remain a significant cause of death of women unless effective screening methods like VIA and vaccination against HPV are scaled up. Furthermore, having a history of menstrual irregularities, STI, bleeding after coitus, parity greater than ≥5, steroid use, and having an unfavorable attitude towards screening factors are significantly associated with the occurrence of the precancerous lesion. Therefore, effective prevention approaches have to consider these factors for the control of cervical cancer in the early phase of the lesion.