DİDEM KAYA
Türk Fen ve Sağlık Dergisi - 2023;4(3):221-231
Objective: The aim of this study is to determine women’s health perceptions and gynecological cancer awareness. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 207 women. The data of the study were collected with the personal information form, the Perception of Health Scale (PHS), and the Gynecological Cancer Awareness Scale (GCAS). Descriptive statistics, Independent Sample-t test, ANOVA test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman correlation test were used in the analysis of the data. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean total score of women’s PHS was 49.87±6.48, and the mean total score of GCAS was 153.71±18.79. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the total score of the health perception scale and the total score of the gynecological cancer awareness scale (r=0.309, p<0.001). Women’s marital status, education level, employment and economic status, frequency of going to gynecological examinations affect their health perceptions and awareness of gynecological cancer (p<0.05). Conclusion: Early diagnosis of gynecological cancer reduces morbidity and mortality rates. For early diagnosis, women’s awareness of gynecological cancer should be developed. As a result of the study, it was seen that as the health perceptions of women increased, their awareness of gynecological cancer also increased. It is recommended to raise awareness of health perceptions and gynecological cancer by informing women about gynecological cancer, early diagnosis, screening programs, and positive health behaviors.
