Health Literacy Related to Cervical Cancer among Women Referring to Health Centers of Yazd, Iran

Abstract

Background & aim: High health literacy enhances informed decision-making for cervical cancer screening (i.e., a Pap smear) among women. The present study aimed to determine the health literacy related to cervical cancer in women referring to health centers of Yazd, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 800 women in 2018. The study participants were selected using systematic random sampling. To collect data a valid and reliable health literacy questionnaire was used to address different aspects of cervical cancer health literacy (i.e., accessibility, reading, understanding, appraising, and decision-making). Data analysis was carried out using Pearson's correlation, independent samples t-test, and multivariate analysis of variance with SPSS software (version 20). Results: The mean age of the participants was 35.85±7.99 years. The mean score of the overall health literacy was reported as 67.46±15.59 and the mean score of the subscales of accessibility, reading, understanding, appraising, and decision-making were 13.34±4.25, 13.29±3.06, 11.25±3.56, 12.72±13, and 16.84±6.16, respectively. Also, there was a significant relationship between health literacy with age, employment status, income level, and daily consumption of fruits and vegetables (p <0.001). Conclusion: The present study indicated that women's level of health literacy in terms of cervical cancer was low in Yazd; therefore, health care providers should pay special attention to women using modern educational methods as well as appropriate educational technologies in order to enhance women's health literacy regarding cervical cancer.