Investigation of the relationship between ovarian cancer awareness levels and health literacy in women

Aim: This research was conducted to determine the relationship between awareness levels of ovarian cancer and health literacy in women. Material and Method: This descriptive and correlational research included a sample of 428 female patients aged between 20-60 who applied to the gynecology and obstetrics clinics of the Education and Research Hospital within the boundaries of Erzincan province. Data for the research were collected using the Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Information Form, Health Literacy Scale, and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Scale between November 2022 and April 2023. Data analysis included t-tests, standard deviations, percentages, ANOVA tests, Tukey, Tamhane T2 tests, Mann Whitney U tests, Kruskal Wallis H tests, Pearson chi-square tests, Fisher's exact test, Fisher Freeman Halton test, and Spearman Correlation Analysis. Results: The mean age of women who applied to the gynecology and obstetrics clinic was 33.88±10.46 and 47.9% of women were university graduates, 63.1% were married, 51.4% were housewives, 76.9% lived in urban areas, 46.5% had an income equal to expenses and 52.3% had a moderate level of nutrition. 93.9% had no relatives with ovarian cancer, 76.4% had regular gynecological examinations, and 54% accessed health information from healthcare personnel. Women scored 3.07±2.96 from the OKFO-symptoms subscale and 37.31±9.77 from the OKFO-risk factors subscale, obtaining a total of 109.52±15.89 from the Health Literacy Scale. A positive significant relationship was found between the Health Literacy Scale scores of women who applied to the gynecology and obstetrics clinic and the OKFO scores (p<0.01; p<0.001). Conclusion: Women's knowledge level about ovarian cancer symptoms is insufficient, their knowledge level about risk factors is at a moderate level, and their health literacy level is good above average. As women's health literacy level increases, their awareness level of ovarian cancer also increases. It is recommended to make efforts to increase women's health literacy level to improve their knowledge about early diagnosis of ovarian cancers and encourage participation in cancer screenings.