{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T17:04:43Z","timestamp":1792515883320,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background and purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cervical cancer prevention continues to pose a significant public health challenge in Saudi Arabia. This research aimed to evaluate women\u2019s knowledge, awareness, and behaviors related to cervical cancer screening and Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Riyadh, and to identify key factors influencing participation and the obstacles faced.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This cross-sectional study was conducted among a diverse sample of women recruited through online platforms, institutional networks, and community-based groups. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic details, knowledge, awareness, practices, and barriers. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, gap analysis, and multivariable regression using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v28.0.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Awareness of Papanicolaou (Pap) smear was high at 77.8%, but actual screening participation was low at 26.7%. HPV vaccine awareness was 42.0%, yet only 9.3% had received the vaccine. Knowledge levels varied: 82.0% understood the purpose of the Pap smear, but just 20.4% knew the recommended screening intervals. The main barriers included a lack of understanding (43.4%) and limited awareness of testing locations (17.1%). Regression analysis showed that awareness of the HPV vaccine significantly predicted knowledge (\u03b2 = 1.903, p &amp;lt; 0.001), and that advice from physicians doubled vaccination rates compared with other sources.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A notable gap exists between awareness and practice, mainly due to knowledge deficits rather than access issues. Future efforts should focus on provider-led, behavior-oriented education to convert awareness into action and lessen the cervical cancer burden.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1890017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T04:30:15Z","timestamp":1789533015000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Cervical cancer prevention in Riyadh: a cross-sectional analysis of sociodemographic correlates, knowledge-awareness-practice gaps, and healthcare provider influence"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Eman","family":"Alshehri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Malak","family":"AlHakeem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Remaz Abdullah","family":"Almahmoud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aleen Abdulaziz","family":"AlKulyah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ariam Majed","family":"Almasari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aishah","family":"Ibrahim Boureggah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aroub Mohammed","family":"Almahmoud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maryam","family":"Ali Alghannam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aseel","family":"Fahad Alsaif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed Sherif","family":"AbdelHamid Abdelwahab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/md.0000000000040124","article-title":"Parental perspectives on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A systematic review","volume":"103","author":"Alshahrani","year":"2024","journal-title":"Med (Baltimore)"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/657321","article-title":"Cervical human papillomavirus prevalence in 5 continents: Meta-analysis of 1 million women with normal cytological findings","volume":"202","author":"Bruni","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Infect Dis"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bpobgyn.2017.08.015","article-title":"The natural history of human papillomavirus infection","volume":"47","author":"de Sanjose","year":"2018","journal-title":"Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2025.126832","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis on parental uptake and willingness to vaccinate children against human papillomavirus in the Eastern Mediterranean Region","volume":"49","author":"Gebreal","year":"2025","journal-title":"Vaccine"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bpobgyn.2017.08.006","article-title":"Epidemiology and burden of HPV-related disease","volume":"47","author":"Serrano","year":"2018","journal-title":"Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol"},{"key":"B6","unstructured":"Human Papillomavirus and Related Diseases in Saudi Arabia. Summary Report 2025\n          \n          \n            \n              Bruni\n              L\n            \n            \n              Albero\n              G\n            \n            \n              Serrano\n              B\n            \n            \n              Mena\n              M\n            \n            \n              Collado\n              JJ\n            \n            \n              G\u00f3mez\n              D\n            \n          \n          \n          2025"},{"key":"B7","volume-title":"Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative: Saudi Arabia Progress Report 2025","year":"2025"},{"key":"B8","volume-title":"National Cancer Registry: Annual Incidence and Mortality Report 2025","year":"2025"},{"key":"B9","volume-title":"Clinical Practice Guideline on the Screening and Treatment of Precancerous Lesions for Cervical Cancer Prevention","year":"2014"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4103\/2230-8229.189107","article-title":"Attitudes and perceptions 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