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. 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). 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 self-efficacy 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. 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.