THE EFFECT OF HEALTH BELIEF MODEL ON RURAL WOMEN'S PAP SMEAR TEST

Cervical cancer is the most prevalent, malignant female disease, and it is the
second recognized cancer in women, all over the world. Pap smear test is the only recommended
method for screening cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the performance of rural
women in the Health Houses of Shaft city in relation to the Pap smear test by using Health Belief
Model.
Materials & Methods: A descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 205 rural married women
referring to the Shaft Health Houses using two-stage sampling method. Data collection tool was a
valid and reliable questionnaire including demographic variables, knowledge and Health Belief Model
constructs. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and
Logistic Regression tests (SPSS 18 software).
Results: 66.88% of the women had at least once Pap smear test. There was significant differences
between scores of knowledge and constructs such as severity, benefits, barriers, perceived selfefficacy and family history among persons with and without Pap smear test (p<0.05). Family history
of Pap smear (OR= 2.183, 95% CI=1.116-4.270, P=0.023), knowledge (OR= 1.101, 95% CI=1.024-
1.184, P=0.010), perceived severity (OR=0.733, 95% CI=0.561-0.958, P=0.023) and perceived
benefits (OR= 1.343, 95% CI=1.079-1.670, P=0.008) were determined as predictors of behavior, using
Logistic Regression.
Conclusion: Constructs such as severity, perceived benefits and family history of Pap smear test are
important predictors, which are necessarily to be considered in designing educational programs