Health literacy and mammography screening behaviors among women living in a rural area

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths and early diagnosis could reduce breast cancer deaths. Therefore, health literacy is one of the most important determinants of participation in cancer screening for early diagnosis. This study aimed to determine the relationship between women's mammography screening behaviors and health literacy levels.
Methods: The cross-sectional study included 312 women aged 40-69 years living in a rural area. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a personal information form and the Turkish Health Literacy Scale (THLS-32).
Results: Of the women, 28.5% had mammography in the last two years. Of concern was the low health literacy levels. In addition, there were significant differences between THLS-32 subgroup scores, including the THLS-32 total score, between the mammography screening groups.
Conclusion: Health literacy levels of women were related with mammography screening rates. For this reason, effective intervention studies aiming to increase society's health literacy levels may contribute to the increase in breast cancer screenings.
Keywords: Breast cancer, Health literacy, Screening