title: Perspectives of Women during Reproductive Years for Cervical Cancer Scans and Influencing Factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This descriptive study was performed in order to assess health perspectives of women, who applied to Yildirim Beyazit University Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Outpatient Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology for cervical cancer scans and were in the reproductive years. Factors influencing their perspectives were also assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, a simple random sampling formula was adopted to calculate the volume (300) of the targeted sample. Results of the research were obtained through individual diagnosis form and cervical cancer and the Pap smear test health belief model scale (HBMS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that 75.0% of the women heard of the Pap smear test before, and 48.7% had undertaken one. Some 51.4% of the women who had Pap smear test expressed that they had the test at irregular periods. Most of the women stated that they heard about the smear test from the health staff (51.7%). Lack of any health complaints (28.3%) and not having adequate information about the test (21.0%) were among the reasons for not undergoing a Pap smear test. It was found that lower dimension average scores of the women obtained from the cervical cancer and Pap smear test HBMS varied from 7.7±2.3 to 33.5±9.3. When the lower dimension average scores of women from the HBMS were examined, the perception of usefulness was high but the susceptibility and health motivations were low.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, it was determined that the awareness of women about cervical cancer and the Pap smear test was insufficient, and susceptibility and motivation perception towards having a Pap smear test were low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Ankara Ataturk Training And Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey E-mail : gulpinarybu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gokce Banu
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Acar
authors.forename: Gul
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D020073:Gravidity; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D014421:Turkey; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D055815:Young Adult