Evaluation of adultindividuals' healthperceptions, cancerscreening behaviorsand attitudes to screening

The aim of this study is to evaluate Adult Individuals' health perceptions, cancer screening behaviors and attitudes towards screening. The study was conducted at Samsun Bafra State Hospital. Patients attending Urology, Anesthesia and Reanimation, General Surgery, Brain and Nerve Surgery, Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Thoracic Surgery, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Chest Diseases and Infectious Diseases outpatient clinics were included in the study. The sample size of the study was determined as 289 with a 95% confidence interval and a margin of error of 0.05. Health Perception Scale, Attitude Scale Towards Cancer Screenings and Patient Information Form were used in the research. 67.6% of the participants were women, 32.4% were men, 11.7% were single and 88.3% were married. The education level of the individuals was 27.3% primary school and 25.5% high school. 52.6% of individuals state that they use medication for any disease. It states that 62.5% of individuals have a family history of cancer. The average age of the participants was 50.61 ± 8.35, the average health perception total score was 50.33 ± 8.353, and the cancer screening total score was 76.38 ± 11.234. There is a low (r: -.130) negative correlation between the participants' cancer screening scale total score and their age (p<0.05). There is a low level of correlation between the participants' cancer screening scale total score and their health perception total score (r: 0.145). There is a low level of correlation between the participants' cancer screening scale total score and the control center sub-dimension (r: 0.111) and Self-awareness sub-dimension (r: 0.134). In the study, it was determined that there was a positive and significant relationship between the total scores of the health perception scale and the scores of the attitude scale towards cancer screenings. It was found that the average score of the attitude scale towards cancer screenings was significantly higher for individuals who were knowledgeable about cancer screenings and had had cancer screenings before.