Adult ; Cognition ; Community Health Nursing ; Curriculum ; Decision Making ; Educational Measurement ; Emotions ; Female ; Health Education/organization & administration* ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice* ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Mass Screening/psychology* ; Mass Screening/statistics & numerical data ; Motivation ; Nurse's Role ; Nursing Education Research ; Nursing Evaluation Research ; Papanicolaou Test* ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology* ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data ; Program Evaluation ; Self Efficacy ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/diagnosis ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Vaginal Smears/psychology* ; Vaginal Smears/statistics & numerical data
Keywords
cognition‐emotion focused program ; health belief ; intention ; Pap test ; self‐efficacy
Abstract
Objective: Despite high incidence rates of cervical cancer in Korea, Papanicolaou (Pap) tests are not utilized as a preventive behavior. This study examined the effects of an emotion-cognition focused program on the decision of taking Pap tests in Korean women.
Design: A non-equivalent control group post-test only design was utilized. Sample: A convenience sample was randomly assigned to either experimental (N = 48) or control group (N = 48) after matching for education and age. Measurements: Knowledge of Cervical Cancer and Pap Smear Test, Champion's Health Belief Model, and Self-Efficacy Scale were used. Intention and stage of adoption to take a Pap test were measured with single items.
Results: Women in the experimental group had significantly higher scores on knowledge of cervical cancer (t = 6.99, p < .001) and perceived benefits of Pap tests (t = 2.91, p < .05), lower scores on procedural (t = −2.45, p < .05) and cognitive (t = −2.66, p < .01) barriers to testing. Improvement in self-efficacy (t = 3.38, p < .01), strong intention to have the test (t = 2.99, p < .01), and advanced stages of behavior adoption (χ2 = 12.93, p < .01) were also found.
Conclusions: Women's perspectives, attitudes of health care practitioners, and clinical environment need to be considered if change is to happen in women's preventive behavior related to Pap test screening.