Effect of health responsibility and health literacy on gynecological cancer awareness of university working women

Abstract

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to examine the effects of health responsibility and health literacy on gynecological cancer awareness of women working at university. Methods: Relational screening model was used in this study. Data were collected from 409 women aged 20-65 working in university units in Turkey between February 2021 and May 2021. In data collection, socio-demographic characteristics, Gynecological Cancer Awareness Scale (GCAS), Turkish Health Literacy Scale (THLS-32) and Health Responsibility Subscale were used. Descriptive, comparative and multiple regression analyzes were conducted. Results: The total mean score of GCAS was 158.65±16.01 and 8.3% of the participants had insufficient health literacy. A significant regression model, F (df1=14, df2=394) =10.849, p< .001, and 25% of the variance in the dependent variable (R2adjusted = .25) was found to be explained by the independent variables. In the model, the variables that predict and contribute most to women's awareness of gynecological cancer are health responsibility (β= .21, t (394) = 4.35, p< .01), and THLS-32 (β= .20, t(394)= 4.33 , p< .01). Conclusions: It is suggested that especially health responsibility and health literacy levels should be taken into account while developing intervention programs for women's gynecological cancer awareness.