Identification of Women's Knowledge and Practices about Cervical Cancer Risk Factors and Early Diagnosis Methods

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey between 2015-2016, to determine the cervical cancer risk factors, early diagnosis, knowledge and practices of women over the age of 18. Method: The study was conducted using face-to-face interviews in the gynecology outpatient clinics of one state and two private hospitals in the Famagusta district. The population of the study consisted of women who applied to the polyclinic during the study period, and in the study, n=232 women who met the criteria and volunteered to participate in the study were reached using the convenient sampling method. The research data were collected with a questionnaire (n=34) created according to the literature, and the data analysis was performed using the SPSS 20 software. For descriptive data, the terms number, percentage, mean, median were used in data analysis, and the chi-square test was applied in the evaluation of categorical data. Results: In the study, the cervical cancer risk knowledge level of women was found to be high with 7.36 +/- 2.23. There was a statistically significant difference in the level of education and age groups with Papanicolaou test (Pap smear test) (p<0.05). In the advanced analysis, it was found that the difference was due to women with a university education and over 41 years of age. In addition, a statistically significant difference was found between having the Pap smear test done at the right time and economic status (p<0.05). It was determined that this difference occurred among women whose income was less than their expenses. Conclusion: It was determined that both the timing and frequency of initiating Pap smear tests were not sufficient for women who had knowledge about those tests. It is important to plan trainings for enhancing the knowledge and practices of women at risk (low education, over forty years of age, etc.) regarding early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer.