Abstract
BackgroundCervical cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Ghana. Cervical cancer screening in Ghana begins at 25 years, however, screening uptake is very low. High rates of information and communication technology use in Ghana present an opportunity for raising adolescents’ cervical cancer awareness and screening uptake. ObjectiveThe study aimed to assess the effect of a video-based educational intervention (VBEI) in improving knowledge, awareness and reducing barriers to cervical cancer screening among senior high school (SHS) students in Ghana. MethodA single-arm before and after study was conducted in which fifty (50) respondents were selected using stratified probability sampling. Participants viewed a 20-minute YouTube video on cervical cancer and self-completed a study-specific questionnaire before and after the VBEI. McNemar’s test was used to test the differences in knowledge, awareness and perceived barriers between pre and post-intervention at a significance level of p < 0.006. ResultsThere was a significant increase in knowledge and awareness of the causative agent of cervical cancer (p = 0.003) and treatment outcomes (p = 0.003). However, there was no significant change in knowledge of risk factors (p = 0.215), signs and symptoms of cervical cancer (p = 0.056) or barriers to cervical cancer screening (p = 0.322). ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence that VBEI may be an effective strategy for increasing knowledge, awareness of cervical cancer and possibly reduce barriers to screening among SHS students. We recommend that in addition to the use of health videos, healthcare professionals can adopt multimodal interventions (oral, printed, digital) to improve understanding and behavioural change during adolescent cancer education.
Published Version
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