SCREENING FOR CERVICAL LESIONS AMONG WOMEN IN BARKIN LADI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE (KEY IJP************823)

• Bright Nyam Zang

Abstract

This study examined atypical cervical lesions in women in Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria, to promote cervical cancer prevention and early diagnosis. A descriptive cross-sectional research was undertaken on 260 consenting women aged 2170 in Barkin Ladi LGA's four settlements (Foron, Fan, Heipang, and Gassa). Government basic health facilities gathered endocervical smear samples with sterile Ayre spatulas and 95% alcohol. Papanicolaou-stained samples were examined microscopically. SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis, employing Chi-square and ANOVA testing at 0.05. Of the 260 women examined, 53 (20.4%) had abnormal cervical smears and 207 (79.6%) were negative. In the abnormal smears, 37 (14.3%) were Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (LSIL) and 16 (6.2%) were High-Grade. The age group 20 years had the greatest LSIL rate (25.0%), whereas the 51-60 years age group had the highest HSIL rate (22.2%). Women with a BMI of 18.524.9 had the greatest LSIL prevalence (17.2%), although BMI differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Unemployed and oral contraception users had greater cervical lesion rates (p 0.008) and (p 0.003). Cervical cancer awareness was modest at 68.5%. These findings highlight the need for improved cervical cancer screening, targeted education, and preventive healthcare, especially for high-risk and marginalized communities. HPV vaccination and a rural HPV prevalence study are advised to lower cervical cancer risk.