The effect of planned training on vulva cancer and vulvar self examination on women's knowledge and attitudes

Vulvar Self Examination (VSE), which is performed for early diagnosis and treatment of vulva cancer, is simple, can be applied by every woman, does not require a special examination tool, is an effective method that takes 10 minutes of women once a month. In this study, the effect of self-vulva examination education, which plays an important role in the early diagnosis of vulva cancer and this type of gynecological cancer, was investigated. The participants of the study consisted of 45 women in the Women's Occupational Enrichment Centers operating under the Kilis Municipality in the city of Kilis. The current study is a pre- and post-test, no-control group quasi-experimental research design. The researcher used a 42-item questionnaire to determine participants' level of knowledge on vulva and demographic variables. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of the demographic information of women participants; and the second part of the form included information about vulva cancer and the VSE. After the questionnaire applied to the first group consisting of eighty-four women, training was provided using slide presentation and models, and a pamphlet prepared by the researcher about the VSE was distributed. The second part of the questionnaire was reapplied to 45 participants who were available and volunteered to attend after 10 weeks. 46.7% of women participating in the study are between 18-29 years old and 57.8% are married. Almost all women (93.4%) have high school or higher education diploma. 71.1% of the participants did not know about vulva cancer; and almost all participants (93.3%) stated that they have never done VSE before. 93.3% of women stated that they decided to undergo regular vulva examination after the training. As a result, it has been determined that women have too many deficiencies about vulva cancer symptoms, risk factors, early diagnosis method examination, and female external genital organ anatomy information; and these information deficiencies can be eliminated through trainings.