Effect of an educational program on women’s attitudes regarding early detection and prevention of cervical cancer in primary health care centres

Abstract

Objective: To assess women's attitudes toward cervical cancer prevention and early detection, evaluate the effect of an educational program on these attitudes, and examine relationships with sociodemographic factors.

Methods: A pre-experimental pre-test/post-test design was conducted from [actual dates] at four primary healthcare centres in Diwaniyah City, Iraq. A purposive sample of 60 women aged 15-50 years participated. Data were collected using a 19-item attitude questionnaire before and two weeks after a three-session educational program. Paired t-tests and ANOVA were used for analysis.

Results: The proportion of women with positive attitudes increased from 40.0% (n=24) at pre-test to 93.3% (n=56) at post-test (p < 0.001). Mean attitude scores increased from 32.03±4.74 to 50.43±5.75. Significant associations were found between attitudes and age, education, occupation, economic status, and residence (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The educational program was associated with significant improvement in women's attitudes toward cervical cancer prevention and early detection. Sociodemographic factors influenced baseline attitudes.