The effect of the health belief model education for cervical cancer prevention, screening promotion among rural women in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu (HBMECC)

BACKGROUND: The objective of this interventional study is to investigate the efficacy of health belief model-based health education in screening promotion and improving awareness about cervical cancer prevention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 370 rural married respondents were selected using a multistage random sampling method. To gather information from study participants before and after the six-month intervention period, the standard questionnaire instrument paired with a health belief model and cervical cancer knowledge assessments was employed. This quasi-experimental study incorporated health belief model-based education for 45 minutes, supplemented by audio-visual, flipchart, and interactive sessions, and regular motivation was given once every three days until the call for mass screening camps, which were held every 15 days. The data was imported into Excel and analyzed using SPSS 21. A paired test for pre- and post-intervention significance and a cross-tab test for association was utilized. At the end of the study, the percentage of all women screened was estimated. RESULTS: The findings revealed that 37.8% of participants were between the ages of 30 and 40, 32.7% had no formal education, and 42% were housewives. The pre-and post-test mean scores for knowledge about cervical cancer and prevention differed, with a mean value difference of 4 for signs of cervical cancer, 24.32 for risk factors, 1.31 for the cervical cancer screening (Pap) test, 1.07 for vaccination, and 0.48 for attitude toward self-assessment of cervical cancer symptoms and attitude toward screening. By the end of the study, 39% of the women had been screened in a mass screening camp and from outside sources. CONCLUSION: The health belief model, therefore, assisted in increasing the required information and addressed the perception regarding screening obstacles, consequently increasing the screening rate, and can thus be implemented as an appropriate strategy for instructing women about cervical cancer screening and prevention.