Cancer screening knowledge and health literacy among rural women Aged 30-69.

BACKGROUND

High participation rates are essential for the success of cancer screening programs; however, sustaining consistent engagement is a persistent challenge, especially in rural populations. To investigate the health literacy and cancer screening knowledge levels of women aged 30-69 living in rural areas who are eligible for at least one type of cancer screening, and to identify factors associated with cancer-related knowledge.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 365 rural women aged 30-69 years who attended a Central Public Health Center between February and August 2025, in a province located in the northwestern region of Türkiye. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire, the Knowledge Scale for Cancer Screening, and the Turkiye Health Literacy Scale-32, and analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression

RESULTS

Overall, 81.1 % of participants reported having undergone breast cancer screening, 59.7 % cervical cancer screening, and 50.0 % colorectal cancer screening. According to the linear regression analysis, a history of cervical cancer screening (β=0.243; t(10) = 3.235; p = 0.001) and scores on the TSOY-32 subscale for disease prevention and health promotion (β=0.202; t(10) = 2.372; p = 0.018) were significant predictors of cancer screening knowledge.

CONCLUSION

Our study identifies potential factors that may enhance knowledge of cancer screening, which in turn could contribute to increasing the uptake of cancer screening tests. The most significant indicators were high level of health literacy related to disease prevention and health promotion as well as a previous experience with cervical cancer screening. These factors should be considered in the development of targeted interventions to increase cancer screening participation among women in rural settings.