Effect of an Interactive Educational Intervention on Knowledge and Attitudes toward Cervical Cancer and Its Prevention among Adolescent Girls
Abstract
Introduction: Cervical cancer continues to pose a major public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Adolescent girls are the primary target group for prevention efforts, but their knowledge and attitudes about cervical cancer and its prevention are still limited. This study aimed to determine the effect of an interactive educational intervention on the knowledge and attitudes of adolescent girls.
Method: This quasi-experimental study, with a one-group pretest–posttest design, involved 87 adolescent girls aged 15–18 years selected through simple random sampling from a total of 500 students at SMAN 1 Pangkalan Baru, Central Bangka, Indonesia. The intervention consisted of a single 90-minute interactive educational session combining group presentations and discussions. Knowledge and attitudes were measured using a valid and reliable questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha of 0.772 and 0.743). Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results: After the intervention, all participants (100%) achieved high knowledge levels, and attitude scores improved significantly. Significant improvements were observed in knowledge (Z = −8.063; p < 0.001) and attitudes (Z = −3.135; p = 0.002), with large and medium effect sizes, respectively.
Conclusion: An interactive educational intervention significantly improved adolescent girls' knowledge and attitudes regarding cervical cancer and its prevention. School-based health education has the potential to be an effective strategy to support cervical cancer prevention.
Keywords: Attitudes, cervical cancer, educational intervention, knowledge
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.37905/jmhsj.v5i2.40099
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