Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Siirt University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Midwifery, Siirt, Türkiye.
2
Muş Alparslan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Muş, Türkiye.
3
Siirt University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Siirt, Türkiye.
Abstract
Background and Objective: Cervical cancer screening behavior is more prevalent among individuals with a strong grasp of electronic health literacy. This study aimed to determine the relationship between electronic health literacy and attitudes toward early diagnosis of cervical cancer in women.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 300 participants between 25 February and 05 May 2024. The study included participants who applied to a hospital in Siirt province of Turkey through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a descriptive information form, the E-Health Literacy Scale and the Cervical Cancer Early Detection Attitude Scale. Descriptive statistics, compare tests, Pearson correlation analysis, and linear regression were conducted for the analysis.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 28.91±4.98 years, and 42.3% had a high school education or higher. The mean total score of the Cervical Cancer Early Detection Attitude Scale was 100.36±9.38, and the mean total score of the E-Health Literacy Scale was 38.26±10.05, which is at a moderate level. A positive and moderately significant correlation exists between the E-Health Literacy Scale and the Cervical Cancer Early Detection Attitude Scale (r=0.313, p<0.05). The attitudes towards early diagnosis of cervical cancer were higher in those who had pap smear test, whose family/friends were diagnosed with cervical cancer, and those who received education on cervical cancer and wanted education. These variables were significant predictors explaining 17.8% of the total variance of attitude towards early diagnosis of cervical cancer.
Conclusion: Electronic health literacy and cervical cancer-related characteristics positively influence attitudes toward early diagnosis of cervical cancer. This study highlights the importance of considering women's eHealth literacy in interventions to improve cervical cancer early detection behaviours.
Keywords
Acknowledgements: The authors thank all the participants interviewed for this study.
Availability of data and materials: The data supporting this study's findings are not openly available due to sensitivity reasons but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Conflict of interest: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to disclose.
Consent for publication: Not applicable.
Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate: This study followed the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was obtained from the Siirt University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Approval date: 22.01.2024, number: 6292), and written permission was obtained from Siirt Provincial Health Directorate (Approval date: 23.02.2024, number: E-71987595-774.07-237601857). The study's aims were clearly explained to the participants, and their verbal and written informed consent was obtained.
Funding: The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.
Author contributions: SG, AK, and SS designed the study; SG and SS collected the data; SG, AK, and SS analysed the data and wrote the manuscript, and all authors contributed to manuscript revisions.
Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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