Effect of health education about cervical cancer and papanicolaou testing on the behavior, knowledge, and beliefs of Turkish women.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the second most common form of cancer observed among women in Turkey. The participation of women in cervical cancer screening programs is strongly affected by Turkish attitudes, beliefs, and sociocultural structure. AIM: This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of health education that aimed to raise awareness about Papanicolaou testing and to emphasize the importance of the early diagnosis of cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted as a prospective, randomized, controlled trial and was carried out in 148 women. Seventy-five women in the control group were asked to fill out questionnaire forms. A 45-minute conference-style training was given to 73 women in the study group, and all of the subjects were asked to fill out the forms after the training. The sociodemographic characteristics of the 2 groups and the mean "Health Belief Model Scale for Cervical Cancer and Pap Smear Test" scores of the 2 groups were statistically analyzed by Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), version 15. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference noticed between the sociodemographic characteristics of the 2 groups (P > 0.05). The difference in test scores, which represented knowledge about cervical cancer and Papanicolaou testing, was statistically significant between the control group and the study group (t = 10.122, P < 0.05). In the Health Belief Model Scale for Cervical Cancer and Pap Smear Test, there were statistically significant differences in the following measures: lower levels of susceptibility to cervical cancer score (t = -2.035, P < 0.05), lower levels of perceived benefit from a Papanicolaou test score (t = 3.278, P < 0.05) and lower levels of perceived barriers to Papanicolaou test score (t = -3.182, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nurses should be involved in educating women about cervical cancer and Papanicolaou testing. By doing so, they can change the attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs of the women.

Knowledge, behavior and beliefs related to cervical cancer and screening among Turkish women.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to explore Turkish women's knowledge, behavior and beliefs related to cervical cancer and screening. METHODS: The study was performed in two cities in the East of Turkey between September 2009 and April 2010, with a sampling group of 387 women. Data were collected by means of an interview form with the Health Belief Model Scale for Cervical Cancer and Pap Smear Test - Turkish Version. RESULTS: Women in the research group were found to have poor knowledge, inadequate health behavior and low/medium level false beliefs regarding cervical cancer screening. There was relation between health beliefs and characteristics of women and particularly education (F = 10.80, p = 0.01). Similarly, it was found that Pap smear barriers were influenced by demographic characteristics and that women with low-level education (p = 0.001), divorced women (p = 0.05), women with low-income(p = 0.05), women who gave their first birth when they were 18 or younger (p = 0.05) and women not applying any contraceptive method at all (p = 0.01) were determined to have negative Pap smear barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Primarily the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of women in the target group should be evaluated to increase their participation in cervical cancer screening and to prepare effective education strategies.

Quality of life and sexual functioning in gynecological cancer patients: results from quantitative and qualitative data.

AIMS: The purpose of the present study was to determine the quality of life levels of patients with gynecologic cancer and to find out the problems that affect their quality of life and sexual functioning. METHODS: The research was carried out at the gynecologic oncology clinics of Istanbul University. The data were collected using The Quality of Life-Cancer Survivors (QOL-CS) Instrument with 100 survivors. Moreover, semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with 30 of these 100 subjects focusing on their sexual life. KEY RESULTS: Overall QOL for this sample was moderate (X=4.83+/-1.09) and gynecologic cancer and treatment procedures caused important problems that had a negative effect on physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of quality of life. In addition, it was found that treatment procedures assault a potential fourfold on sexual health, body image, gender role functioning (femininity), sexual functioning and fertility. CONCLUSION: Gynecologic cancer and treatment procedures cause important problems that have a negative effect on quality of life and sexual functioning is particularly impaired, being an important element of quality of life.

Risk factors for endometrial cancer in Turkish women: results from a hospital-based case-control study.

PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between risk factors and endometrial cancer in Turkish women. METHODS AND SAMPLE: In a hospital-based case-control study conducted in Istanbul, 285 patients with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer were compared with 1050 controls, admitted to the different departments of the same hospital. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained from multivariate logistic regression analysis, fitted by the method of maximum likelihood. KEY RESULTS: Risk factors for endometrial cancer were found to be the state of lower education (OR=2.53, 5% CI: 1.41-4.54), history of hypertension or diabetes (OR=3.26, 95% CI: 2.21-4.80), (OR=3.56, 95% CI: 2.02-6.27), lower parity (OR=3.89, 95% CI: 2.60-5.82), early menarche age (OR=9.43, 95% CI: 5.35-16.62) and HRT use (OR=2.66, 5% CI: 1.40-5.06). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results are supportive of the hypothesis that having a history of chronic disease, lower parity, early menarche and use of HRT were increased-risk factors but negative family history of cancer was decreased-risk factor for endometrial cancer.

Views of patients with gynecologic cancer about the end of life.

This study was designed as a descriptive work assessing the reactions of gynecologic cancer patients to poor prognosis, determining their desires for the location of terminal care, and their preferences about life-sustaining technology. The study was carried out between 2002 and 2003 in a gynecologic oncology clinic of a university hospital located in Istanbul. Data were collected through interviews with 68 patients with gynecologic cancers. Collected data were analyzed through content analysis. It was found that survival is utterly important for the patients and that they wish to stay at hospitals as inpatients and receive life-sustaining treatments during the end-stage disease.