title: Investigation of the Role of Training Health Volunteers in Promoting Pap Smear Test Use among Iranian Women Based on the Protection Motivation Theory.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical cancer is known as one of the most prevalent types of cancers and a major public health problem in developing countries which can be detected by Pap test, prevented, and treated. Despite the effective role of Pap test in decreasing the incidence and mortality due to cervical cancer, it is still one the most common causes of cancer-related deaths among women, especially in developing countries. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effect of educational interventions implemented by health volunteers based on protection motivation theory (PMT) on promoting Pap test use among women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 60 health volunteers and 420 women. The study participants were divided into an intervention and a control group. Data were collected using a valid self-reported questionnaire including demographic variables and PMT constructs which was completed by both groups before and 2 months after the intervention. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software, version 19 and were analyzed using Chi-square test, independent T-test, and descriptive statistical methods. P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings of this study showed that the mean scores of PMT constructs (i.e. perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, fear, response-costs, self-efficacy, and intention) increased in the intervention group after the intervention (P<0.001). However, no significant difference was found between the two groups regarding response efficacy after the intervention (P=0.06). The rate of Pap test use also increased by about 62.9% among the study women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed a significant positive relationship between PMT-based training and Pap test use. The results also revealed the successful contribution of health volunteers to training cervical cancer screening. Thus, training interventions based on PMT are suggested to be designed and implemented and health volunteers are recommended to be employed for educational purposes and promoting the community's, especially women's, health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran E-mail : gharamanl@sums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ghahremani
authors.forename: Zahra Khiyali
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Harami
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kaveh
authors.forename: Sareh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keshavarzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D064368:Healthy Volunteers / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D065228:Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D065006:Papanicolaou Test / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*