Awareness about Gynecologic Cancers and Related Factors among Healthy Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ovarian cancer awareness of women in Turkey: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Early diagnosis of ovarian cancer (OC) increases survival rates; however, due to low awareness levels, women may be diagnosed with OC at the advanced stage. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to reveal the OC awareness of Turkish women and affecting factors.

METHODS

Participants were invited to study via social media tools between February-June 2022. Data was collected with Personal Information Form and the "OC Awareness Scale" from 446 women.

RESULTS

81% of the participants did not recall OC symptoms, 80.8% recognized OC risk factors. The most frequently recalled and recognized OC symptom is pelvic pain (19.8%; 55.8%, respectively). The most frequently recalled and recognized OC risk factors were smoking (43.1%, 67.9%, respectively) and family history (39%, 58.7%, respectively). 2% of the participants felt very confident in recognizing the signs, 72.9% would seek help within 1-2 days when they recognized the signs of OC.

CONCLUSIONS

The awareness of OC was higher among women who had advanced age, higher education, family history and were in menopause. Turkish women have low level of awareness and knowledge about OC symptoms and risk factors. There is an urgent need for an OC awareness campaign that takes into account the socio-demographic characteristics of women. The results of the study may also guide strategies to prevent OC.

The effect of training given using three different methods on genital hygiene behaviours after medical curettage

This research was conducted to determine the effect of genital hygiene training given with three different methods after medical curettage on genital hygiene behaviours. A randomised semi-experimental study was performed with 90 patients who underwent medical curettage at a university hospital in Turkey. The participants were divided into three equal groups: verbal training, training with written materials, and demonstration only. Data was collected using the Patient Information Form and the Genital Hygiene Behaviour Scale. There was no difference between mean pre-training and post-training Genital Hygiene Behaviours Scale total and sub-dimension scores in the verbal group (p > .05). There was a difference between the groups after the training between the mean total and sub-dimensions of the Genital Hygiene Behaviour Scale scores (p < .05). The study findings showed that the demonstration method in genital hygiene training given to participants who underwent medical curettage was more effective in improving genital hygiene behaviours than other methods.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? It is seen that verbal education alone is not effective in providing and developing genital hygiene behaviours. Although studies are investigating the effectiveness of education on genital hygiene behaviours of women, there is no study investigating the effectiveness of education methods.What do the results of this study add? The demonstration method for the development of genital hygiene behaviours is more effective than verbal and written education methods.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of training methods for the development of genital hygiene behaviours. Nurses' preference for demonstration methods in genital hygiene education programs may contribute to the protection and development of health by facilitating the teaching of correct health behaviours.