Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Community Medicine

For many people limited health literacy is a major barrier to effective preventive health behavior such as cancer screening, yet a comprehensive health literacy measure that is specific to breast and cervical cancer screening for Egyptian females is not readily available. The aim of this study is to describe the development, validation and testing of The Breast and Cervical Cancer Literacy Measure for Breast and Cervical Cancer for Egyptian Females (CLM-BCC-EF). CLM-BCC-EF is modeled from Cancer Literacy Measure of African American females. The CLM-BCC-EF measures knowledge, experience attitude, beliefs and emotions regarding breast and cervical cancer screening and regarding seeking medical care. In addition, the CLM-BCC-EF assessed participants{u2019} breast and cervical cancer screening behaviors and gender preferences for healthcare providers. Content, construct and face validity of the CLM-BCC-EF were done followed by pilot testing for the reliability test on 30 Egyptian women. A consecutive sample of 300 Egyptian women attending Primary Health Care Units, on infants{u2019} compulsory vaccination days, was used in a cross section descriptive designed study to test the tool using face to face interview method. The results showed poor breast and cervical cancer screening health literacy regarding knowledge and emotions with high positive attitude and beliefs. CLM-BCC-EF has the potential to be a useful tool for researchers and practitioners to assess the breast and cervical cancer health literacy. It is recommended to be tested on larger scales

Issued also as CD