Effect of Web-Based Education on Attitudes and Beliefs About HPV Testing

May 27, 2026 updated by: Merve Icoz, Sakarya University

THE EFFECT OF WEB-BASED EDUCATION GIVEN TO WOMEN ON THEIR ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS ABOUT HPV TESTING

Cervical cancer is a highly preventable public health issue that significantly impacts women's quality of life. Although effective screening programs such as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) testing and Pap-smears are widely available, women's participation in these early detection services often remains limited. The primary barriers to screening attendance include insufficient education, lack of information, negative beliefs, psychosocial or cultural factors, and misconceptions regarding gynecological examinations. To improve screening uptake, health interventions must focus not only on increasing knowledge but also on promoting correct beliefs and positive attitudes toward testing.

Web-based health education serves as an effective method to overcome barriers such as cost, transportation difficulties, and geographical limitations, allowing wider access to healthcare guidance. This study aims to evaluate the effects of a specialized web-based educational intervention on women's attitudes and beliefs regarding the HPV test. The research is designed as a randomized controlled trial with a pre-test and post-test design. Participants will be assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group will receive structured health education through a dedicated web platform, while the control group will receive routine standard follow-up. Data will be gathered using a specific attitude and belief scale before and after the application to measure the intervention's impact.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Having no prior clinical diagnosis of cervical cancer
  • Being between 18 and 60 years of age
  • Having active access to the internet
  • Being literate at a level sufficient to read and understand the questionnaire forms
  • Being capable of effectively navigating and using a web browser
  • Being registered as a patient at Sakarya Akyazı No. 3 Family Health Center
  • Volunteering to participate in the study and providing informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Withdrawing from the study voluntarily at any stage
  • Failing to watch the mandatory educational videos on the platform
  • Submitting incomplete or incorrect responses to the data collection tools
  • Lacking active internet access or proper web browser usage skills

Criteria for Study Discontinuation / Drop-out:

  • Participant's request to withdraw from the study
  • Failure to respond to or complete the data collection tools
  • Not using or logging into the web application for more than 2 consecutive weeks during the study period

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Group
Participants in this group will receive access to the web-based health education platform developed for the study.
Behavioral: Web-Based Health Education
Participants in the intervention group will receive health education through a specially designed web-based platform containing 11 presentations in total (8 PowerPoint presentations, 1 animation video explaining how the HPV test is performed, and 1 researcher-led instructional video demonstrating self-vulvar examination on a model). Participants will also be provided with educational brochures and magnets. For participants who do not view the presentations, weekly reminder text messages will be sent to encourage platform login and module completion.
No Intervention: control group
Participants in this group will receive standard routine follow-up during the study. After the completion of the study data collection, the web-based health education platform will also be made accessible to this group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Attitudes and Beliefs About HPV Testing Scale (ABHTS) - Personal Barriers Subscale
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention
This subscale consists of 7 items (items 1-7) assessing personal barriers, stigma, and shame related to HPV testing. Scores range from 7 to 49. A higher score indicates a higher level of perceived personal barriers, meaning a less favorable attitude toward HPV testing.
Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention
Attitudes and Beliefs About HPV Testing Scale (ABHTS) - Social Norms Subscale
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention
This subscale consists of 4 items (items 8-11) assessing the influence of friends, partners, family, and social media on HPV testing. Scores range from 4 to 28. A higher score indicates higher negative social pressure/barriers, meaning a lower level of favorable attitudes and beliefs
Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention
Attitudes and Beliefs About HPV Testing Scale (ABHTS) - Trust Subscale
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention
This subscale consists of 6 items (items 12-17) assessing trust in the healthcare system, accuracy of HPV testing, and medical procedures. Scores range from 6 to 42. A higher score indicates higher levels of perceived benefit, confidence, and trust toward HPV testing.
Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention
Attitudes and Beliefs About HPV Testing Scale (ABHTS) - Concerns Subscale
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention
This subscale consists of 3 items (items 18-20) assessing concerns and worries related to the process and outcomes of HPV testing. Scores range from 3 to 21. A higher score indicates higher levels of concerns/negative attitudes toward HPV testing.
Baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sakarya University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: ZEKİYE TURAN, Phd, Associate Professor, Sakarya University Faculty of Health Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 27, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SAU-SBE-MI-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared to ensure and maintain participant confidentiality in accordance with the institutional ethics committee approval and local data protection regulations.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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