Epidemiology of Pre-cancerous Cervical Lesions Among Women in Adama, Ethiopia

Background Cervical pre-cancer is a distinct change in the epithelial cells of the transformation zone of the cervix; the cells begin developing in an abnormal fashion in the presence of persistent or long-term human papillomavirus infection. It is estimated that out of women infected with human papillomavirus, 10% will develop pre-cancerous changes in their cervical tissue. About 8% of the women who develop these changes will develop pre-cancer limited to the outer layers of the cervical cells, and about 1.6% will develop invasive cancer. The main purpose of the study was to determine the epidemiology of pre-cancerous cervical lesions among women in Adama, Ethiopia. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out from April to July 2023. Interviewer administered, structured questionnaire was employed, and visual inspection with acetic acid applied for screening of the cervix. Systematic sampling technique was used to collect data from 383 participants. Data was entered into Epi Info version 7, and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 26. Binary logistic regression for bivariate and multivariate analyses with adjusted odds ratios and 95% CIs were used to identify factors associated with the development of pre-cancerous cervical lesions. The level of significance of association was determined as a p-value < 0.05. Results The overall prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions was 12.5%. Post-coital bleeding (AOR = 25.34: 95% CI: 6.22, 103.20), age at first sex (AOR = 3.96: 95% CI: 1.24, 12.69), lifetime sexual partner (AOR = 8.37: 95% CI: 1.00, 70.14) and HIV sero-status (AOR = 10.96: 95% CI: 2.25, 53.37) were identified as independent factors significantly associated with the development of pre-cancerous cervical lesions. Conclusions There was high prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions among participants. Conduct health education to the public on avoidance of identified cervical cancer risk factors. Multiple factors were identified as independent factors significantly associated with the development of pre-cancerous cervical lesions. Awareness creation campaigns and educational programs about the prevention of pre-cancerous cervical lesions and associated risk factors need to be implemented in the community