The Influence of Counseling on Level Knowledge About Cervical Cancer in Women of Childbearing Age

Abstract

The highest cancer prevalence in Indonesia in 2019 was in the Province of Yogyakarta, namely 4.86 per 1000 population. Cervical cancer cases in Gunungkidul Regency are still quite high. Cervical cancer is mostly suffered by women aged 22-45 years, due to lack of knowledge in maintaining cleanliness and health of reproductive organs. This study aims to determine the effect of counseling on the level of knowledge about cervical cancer in women of childbearing age. This study applied an experimental study using a pre-experimental design with the type of one group pretest-posttest. The sample in this study were 32 people. Collecting data used a questionnaire. Data analysis in this study used the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The results of the study showed that before the counseling (pre-test) knowledge in the good category was 17 people; the sufficient category was 15 people; and after the counseling (post-test) it increased to 32 people in the good category. The average knowledge of women of childbearing age about cervical cancer before counseling was 12.78. After counseling it increased to 15.66. The Z-Wilcoxon value obtained -4.648 with a significant value of 0.000 (p<0.05). The conclusion of this study was that there was an effect of counseling on the level of knowledge about cervical cancer in women of childbearing age. The average knowledge of women of childbearing age about cervical cancer at the pre-test was 12.78, and increased to 15.66 at the post-test. The difference in the average knowledge of women of childbearing age about cervical cancer before and after counseling was 2.88. Researchers expected that health workers could improve counseling as a promotive and preventive effort, and for women of childbearing age, they have to be able to participate in outreach activities and seek additional information to increase knowledge about cervical cancer.