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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of an Instagram- and podcast-based intervention on women's breast cancer awareness, health beliefs, and breast cancer screening behaviors among women aged 20-39 years.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women worldwide and remains a major public health concern. Early detection through screening is essential for reducing breast cancer-related morbidity and mortality. However, many women continue to experience barriers to screening participation, including limited awareness, insufficient knowledge, low perceived susceptibility, fear of diagnosis, and inadequate health beliefs regarding breast cancer and its screening methods.
Digital health interventions have emerged as accessible and cost-effective approaches for delivering health education and promoting preventive health behaviors. Social media platforms, particularly Instagram, are widely used by young women and offer an effective channel for disseminating health-related information. Podcasts provide an additional narrative-based educational approach that may enhance engagement, improve information retention, and support behavior change through emotionally meaningful content.
This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an Instagram- and podcast-based intervention in improving breast cancer awareness, health beliefs, and screening behaviors among women aged 20-39 years. Participants in the intervention group will receive evidence-based educational content through Instagram posts and podcasts, while the control group will receive no intervention during the study period. Outcomes will include breast cancer awareness, health beliefs related to breast cancer screening, and screening behaviors such as breast self-examination practices.
The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of combined social media and podcast-based interventions as scalable, low-cost strategies for promoting breast cancer awareness and encouraging preventive screening behaviors among women.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Group | Experimental | Participants will receive an 8-week Instagram-based breast cancer awareness intervention. |
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| Instagram + Podcast Group | Experimental | Participants will receive an 8-week Instagram- and podcast-based breast cancer awareness intervention. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram-Based Breast Cancer Awareness Intervention | Other | Participants will follow the "Breast Health Academy" Instagram account and receive an 8-week Instagram-based breast cancer awareness intervention. Educational breast cancer awareness and screening content will be shared as posts and stories on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Reminder stories encouraging breast self-examination (BSE), such as "Do not forget to perform your monthly BSE" and "Remember to perform BSE this week," will be shared on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Stories will also be saved as highlights. No content will be shared on Fridays, and all posts and stories will be published at the same time each day. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer Awareness Scale | The Breast Cancer Awareness Measure assesses awareness of breast cancer symptoms, breast self-examination practices, and age-related risk perception. Total scores range from 0 to 3, with higher scores indicating greater breast cancer awareness. | Assessments will be performed at baseline and Week 8. |
| Champion's Health Belief Model Scale in Breast Cancer Screening | The Champion's Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS) for Breast Cancer Screening is a validated instrument used to assess health beliefs related to breast cancer screening. The Turkish version consists of six subscales: perceived susceptibility (3 items), perceived seriousness (6 items), health motivation (5 items), perceived benefits of breast self-examination (BSE) (4 items), perceived barriers to BSE (8 items), and BSE self-efficacy/confidence (10 items). Each subscale is evaluated separately, and no total score is calculated. Higher scores on the perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, health motivation, BSE benefits, and BSE self-efficacy/confidence subscales indicate stronger health beliefs, whereas higher scores on the BSE barriers subscale indicate greater perceived barriers to breast cancer screening and breast self-examination. | Assessments will be performed at baseline and Week 8. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer Screening Behavior Questionnaire | Breast Cancer Screening Behavior Questionnaire. A researcher-developed 3-item questionnaire assessing breast cancer screening behaviors, including breast self-examination within the previous month, clinical breast examination by a healthcare professional, and mammography uptake or scheduling. Each item is recorded as Yes or No and analyzed separately. No total score is calculated; therefore, minimum and maximum scores are not applicable. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Withdrawal Criteria:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baise BİCAV | Contact | 0 312 329 10 10 | baisebicav@gmail.com | |
| Zehra BİCAV | Contact | 0 312 329 10 10 |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Baise Bicav | Yüksek İhtisas University | Principal Investigator |
| Zehra Bicav | Yüksek İhtisas University | Principal Investigator |
| Sevinç Kutlutürkan |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001943 | Breast Neoplasms |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D009371 | Neoplasms by Site |
| D009369 | Neoplasms |
| D001941 | Breast Diseases |
| D012871 | Skin Diseases |
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| Instagram-Podcast-Based Breast Cancer Awareness Intervention | Other | Participants will follow the "Breast Health Academy Plus" Instagram account and receive an 8-week Instagram- and podcast-based breast cancer awareness intervention. Educational breast cancer awareness and screening content will be shared as posts and stories on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Reminder stories encouraging breast self-examination (BSE) will be shared on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and saved as highlights. In addition, one educational podcast episode developed for the intervention will be delivered weekly via Instagram direct message every Friday. All content will be provided at the same time each day throughout the intervention period. |
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| Assessments will be performed at baseline and Week 8. |
| Participant Satisfaction (VAS) | Participant satisfaction with the Instagram- and podcast-based intervention will be assessed using a 0-10 Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where 0 indicates "not satisfied at all" and 10 indicates "extremely satisfied." | Assessed at Week 8. |
| Ankara University |
| Study Director |
| Filiz Ünal Toprak | Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi | Study Director |
| D017437 |
| Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases |