THE EFFECT OF CANCER EDUCATION ON WOMEN'S AWARENESS LEVELS AND THEIR BEHAVIORS ON SCREENINGS

Disability is part of being human. He estimates that the prevalence of disability among women is 60% higher than that of men. Disabled women coexist in a dual state of vulnerability where "being a woman" and "being a disabled person" have two social disadvantages. Among people with disabilities, women with disabilities (WWD) have higher unmet healthcare needs than women without disabilities. Cancer is an important public health problem and cause of death all over the world. Among the most common cancers in women; breast, uterine corpus, ovarian and cervix cancers are seen to be prominent, respectively. It is known that with regular examinations and screenings, early diagnosis of breast and cervical cancer increases the chance of treatment. International studies show that women face barriers and difficulties in accessing reproductive health and cancer screening services. In studies, it was stated that especially women with disabilities living in rural areas had lower mammography and Pap-smear tests compared to women without disabilities. In recent years, the Health Belief Model has been used frequently to examine the effect of health beliefs on cancer screening behaviors in women and to increase screening rates. The model explains the beliefs and attitudes that affect individuals' behaviors. According to the model; If a person has a desire to prevent illness or a belief in recovery, he recommends taking a specific health action to prevent illness as a positive behavior. It was emphasized that nurses have important roles and responsibilities in the protection and development of health, and that they can identify individuals with disabilities who are considered "fragile", and provide health education and counseling to these groups. It is thought that the "disabled-friendly accessible health care" practices under the guidance of the Health Belief Model will bring the preventive health care behavior of women with disabilities to the desired level. Disabled women expe