BACKGROUND:
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cause of death among women of reproductive age (15-49 years). In 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) reported a global incidence of 604000 cases of cervical cancer annually. In Tanzania, cervical cancer is the first cause of mortality and morbidity among female cancers. The disease impact is highly associated with a lack of adequate knowledge and attitude toward cervical cancer screening among HWCs. This study aimed to assess knowledge and attitude toward cervical cancer screening among female students as future HCWs from allied health colleges in the Shinyanga region.

METHODS:
This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample size of 420 students from allied health colleges A simple random sampling was used to select a study sample and a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22, Likert, and brooms cut-off points. Association between variables was established by using logistic regression and the Odds Ratio (OR) of greater than one, 95% confidence interval, and P-value of <0.05 were statistical significance.

RESULTS:
Two-thirds of the respondents 276 (65.7%) had low knowledge of cervical cancer screening, while only 34 (8.1%) had very good knowledge of cervical cancer and screening. Most of the respondents 298(70.1%) had a favorable attitude toward cervical screening. Only 52 (12.14%) had ever screened for cervical cancer.

CONCLUSIONS:
The knowledge and the uptake of cervical screening among female students in allied health colleges is poor despite having a favorable attitude toward the screening test