NCT06929234

Effects of Health Education on Knowledge, Attitude and Screening for Cervical Cancer in Women

Effects of Peer-Supported Health Education on Knowledge, Attitude and Screening for Cervical Cancer in Women: A Mixed Method Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Ordu University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 30 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Women's knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about cancer are very important in the prevention of cervical cancer. In addition to medical interventions, psychosocial support and education programs are of great importance in the fight against cancer. Peer support helps individuals going through the same disease process to exchange information and emotional support by sharing their experiences with each other. In addition, the information obtained through peer support provides more permanent learning in individuals due to the transfer of information based on similar experiences and the creation of more trust and empathy compared to traditional education methods. Peer-supported education programs for women diagnosed with cervical cancer not only provide theoretical knowledge but also support the applicability of this knowledge in daily life. The trainings address topics such as risk factors of cervical cancer, the importance of HPV vaccination, the necessity of regular screening tests and healthy lifestyle behaviors, including attitudes towards cervical cancer prevention and cancer-related information. It is very important that this information is not limited to individual learning and that it is discussed within the group and supported by experiences through peer support, in order to increase the level of knowledge.

Detailed description

Detection of cervical cancer at an early stage significantly increases treatment success rates and the quality of life of individuals. Women's knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about cancer are very important in the prevention of cervical cancer. It has been found that the incidence of cervical cancer has decreased in most societies with high levels of awareness about cancer screening. In addition to medical interventions, psychosocial support and education programs are of great importance in the fight against cancer. Peer support helps individuals going through the same disease process to exchange information and emotional support by sharing their experiences with each other. Peer support groups can influence participants' attitudes towards health behaviors by reducing their fear and anxiety about cancer. For women diagnosed with cervical cancer, peer support can facilitate access to accurate information about cancer and help eliminate wrong health behaviors. In this process, women can better understand the importance of participating in screening programs and improve their attitudes towards early diagnosis and preventive health behaviors. In addition, peer-supported information provides more permanent learning in individuals due to the transfer of knowledge based on similar experiences and the creation of more trust and empathy compared to traditional education methods. The effectiveness of education programs increases significantly when they are designed in accordance with the needs and cultural characteristics of the participants. Peer-supported education programs for women diagnosed with cervical cancer not only provide theoretical knowledge but also support the applicability of this knowledge in daily life. The trainings address topics such as risk factors of cervical cancer, the importance of HPV vaccination, the necessity of regular screening tests and healthy lifestyle behaviors, including attitudes towards cervical cancer prevention and cancer-related information. It is very important that this information is not limited to individual learning and that it is discussed within the group and supported by experiences through peer support, in order to increase the level of knowledge. It is important for the effectiveness of the trainings that the individuals providing peer support have sufficient health knowledge about cancer prevention, understand women's health needs and sociocultural norms, speak the same language as women, and are willing to serve as peer supporters. Women who receive peer support share their experiences with screening tests and help other participants learn more about these tests. This increases individuals' trust in health services and encourages them to engage in preventive behaviors.

Conditions

• Peer Support
• Health Education
• Cervical Cancers

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Peer-Supported Health Education	Peer-supported health education will be provided to paticipants in 1 session for an average of 60 minutes in a suitable classroom. In this session, health education will be provided by the researchers and the peer will support the health education. The peer will share her experiences about each part of the training content with the target group in line with the guidance of the researchers, answer questions and make a motivational speech for screening.
OTHER	Basic Health Education	What is cervical cancer, what is the importance of cervical cancer, what are the risk factors for cervical cancer, what are the symptoms of cervical cancer, how to screen for cervical cancer, where to get cervical cancer screenings. Participants will be given health education with a power point presentation in a suitable classroom for an average of 45-50 minutes in 1 session.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-05-01
• Primary completion: 2025-08-01
• Completion: 2025-10-01
• First posted: 2025-04-16
• Last updated: 2025-04-16