Cultural and perceived barriers to cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination among women in Najran Region, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: To assess awareness, attitudes and barriers of cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination among women in Najran City, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 400 women from Najran City, Saudi Arabia, from January to May 2026. Recruitment was conducted using a multistage sampling method. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the sociodemographic characteristics of the females, knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV vaccination, and attitudes toward screening and vaccination. Results: Moderate knowledge was observed among 45.75% of participants, with a mean knowledge score of 9.7±3.1 out of 15. Participants demonstrated moderately favorable attitudes, with a mean attitude score of 10.4±2.8 out of 18. However, only 11.25% of participants had undergone cervical cancer screening. The most reported barriers to screening were concerns related to modesty, embarrassment associated with the Pap smear procedure, and fear of social stigma. Conclusion: Women in an underserved setting like Najran demonstrated moderate knowledge and moderately favorable attitudes about cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination with low screening uptake.