Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main determinant of cervical cancer in women.
Current studies indicate that cervical cancers are caused by sexually transmitted HPV
infection and 84% of HPV-associated cancer lesions are cervical cancer. HPV infection
causes more than 14 million people to become infected with HPV annually and 80% of
sexually active individuals to become infected with HPV during their lifetime. Today,
more than 200 HPV types have been identified. According to the International Agency for
Research on Cancer, high-risk HPV genotypes including 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 are
responsible for approximately 90% of anogenital HPV-positive cancers worldwide, while
low-risk genotypes HPV 6 and 11 are responsible for 90% of genital warts. Cancer is an
important public health problem that increases the risk of mortality and morbidity in
women all over the world. Gynecological cancers can be prevented by changing/abandoning
risk factors, cases can be detected at an early stage with early diagnosis and screening
programs, and a chance for treatment can be found. However, it is known that women do not
apply to health institutions or postpone them due to reasons such as ignoring health
problems, lack of information, embarrassment, and economic problems. The World Health
Organization (WHO) emphasizes that at least one-third of cancer cases can be prevented
with preventive care strategies and recommends the implementation of low-cost and
long-term strategies in cancer control. All health professionals have important roles and
responsibilities in the care and treatment processes in the successful implementation of
cancer prevention, early diagnosis and screening programs. High cancer screening rates in
the general population are associated with the health beliefs of the individual.
According to the Health Belief Model (HBM); perceived barriers are the perceptions of
factors that prevent or make it difficult to perform a protective behavior related to
health. If individuals are sensitive that a health problem will seriously harm them, they
think that the harm that will come to them will decrease when they take action. They
believe that if they do not take action, more severe consequences may arise than the
burden (cost, time, etc.) of the factors that create the perception of barriers.
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a collaborative conversation style to strengthen a
person's own motivation and commitment to change. Motivational interviewing is an
evidence-based, successful intervention approach to facilitate positive behavioral change
and is frequently used in substance abuse, mental health, primary and special health
areas. Studies have shown the effectiveness of motivational interviews, especially
SIM-based motivational interviews. The Precautionary Acceptance Process Model (PAPM) is a
method that states that people may be in different motivational stages during the process
of showing a behavior, therefore the same intervention applied to people evaluated in a
single pot may not be effective for everyone, and the Precautionary Acceptance Process
Model (PAPM), which is known to a limited extent in our country, is a suitable model
especially in preventive health service practices, health protection and development
programs. In the prevention of cervical cancer, health personnel working especially in
primary health care services actively play a role in increasing the awareness levels of
women in the society they serve and in directing them to early diagnosis. In this
context, it is thought that midwives, especially those in the first stage, should be at
the forefront with their education and consultancy roles in addition to their
practitioner roles, as they reach women of all ages .