The effects of face-to-face and online education on cancer screening on women's knowledge, attitudes and shyness levels

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the effects of face-to-face and online education on cancer screening on women's knowledge, attitudes and shyness levels. Material and method: The study was conducted in a randomized controlled trial with 68 women aged 50-65 years who applied to a community health center in eastern Turkey (34 experimental, 34 control). Data were collected using a personal information form, Attitude Scale Towards Cancer Screening (ATSC), Knowledge Scale Towards Cancer Screening (KSTCS) and Shyness Scale (SQ). Women in the experimental group received training on cancer screening in 3 sessions at one-week intervals. Women in the control group received no intervention. Data was analyzed using the chi-square test, t-test for dependent and independent paired groups. Statistical significance was set at p<0.005. Results: When the pre-test mean scores of the women in the experimental and control groups were compared, it was determined that the difference between the total mean scores of the KSTCS and ATSC scales was not statistically significant (p>0.05), and the difference between the pre-test mean scores of the shyness scale was significant (p<0.05) against the experimental group. After the training on cancer screenings, it was determined that the knowledge level and positive attitudes of the women in the experimental group increased significantly compared to the control group, and their shyness levels decreased statistically significantly (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, it was concluded that education given about cancer screenings increased the positive attitude and knowledge level towards cancer screenings in women and decreased the level of shyness. Keywords: Midwife, Cancer screenings, Knowledge, Attitude, Shyness, Woman, Online education.