Factors affecting cervical cancer screening behavior in women between the age of 30-65 in a district in İstanbul

Background/aims: Cervical cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in women after breast cancer. Cervical cancer screening increases the possibility of an early diagnosis and cure. This study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and behavior of cervical cancer screenings of 30-65 year-old women, who are registered to three family health centers in the Fatih district of Istanbul. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. 400 women enrolled in 3 different family health centers in the Fatih district of Istanbul between 15.10.2018 – 15.01.2019 were included in the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and face to face interview techniques. Turkey Health Literacy Scale and Attitudes Toward Cancer Scale (Community Version) were used. Results: The mean age of the women was 47.5 ± 9.7. 87% of the women are married, 75.8% are housewives and 54.7% have a chronic disease. 87.5% of women have a positive attitude towards cancer. 9.8% of women are inadequate and 23.2% have problematic health literacy. The most common cervical cancer screening method used by women is the Pap smear test with 72.1%. 20.3% of women have never had a Pap smear or HPV DNA test. The most common reason for women to screen is because of regular health check-ups and recommendations by health workers. As age, education and income level and health literacy level have increased, women's participation in cervical cancer screenings increased statistically. Participation in cervical cancer screenings was statistically higher in women who had a positive attitude towards cancer. Conclusion: While the knowledge of women about cervical cancer screening is good, the rate of regular screening is not at the desired level. Women's participation in community-based cervical cancer screening can be increased through activities aimed at increasing women's education and health literacy levels as well as reducing negative attitudes towards cancer.