Cervical Cancer ScreeningNCT06939699
Social Media-Based Education on Cancer Screening Awareness in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
A study testing Social Media-Based Education and Standard Online Education in people with Cervical Cancer Screening and Breast Cancer Screening, run by Emine Ergin at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This randomized controlled study evaluated a social media-based educational program for women who had not previously participated in breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer screening. A total of 132 women aged 30-70 years were assigned to either a social media-based education group or a standard online education group. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 30 to 70 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Cervical Cancer Screening, Breast Cancer Screening, Colorectal Cancer Screening
- What is being tested?
- Social Media-Based Education and Standard Online Education
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 132 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 3 Jun 2025to 31 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 30 to 70 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Female
- Aged 30-70 years
- Applied to Medipol Mega University Hospital in Istanbul between June and August 2025
- Had not previously undergone breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer screening
- Actively used both WhatsApp and Instagram
- Had access to a digital device and internet connection that enabled participation in the educational program
- Voluntarily agreed to participate and provided written informed consent
Who cannot join
- Previous diagnosis of any type of cancer
- Previous participation in any breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer screening procedure
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Medipol Mega University Hospital
Istanbul, 34214
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Social Media-Based Education on Women's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Health Literacy Regarding Cancer Screenings: A Randomized Controlled Trial
This randomized controlled study evaluated a social media-based educational program for women who had not previously participated in breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer screening. A total of 132 women aged 30-70 years were assigned to either a social media-based education group or a standard online education group.
The social media-based program was structured according to the Social Ecological Model and delivered through closed WhatsApp and Instagram groups. The standard education group received two online educational sessions via Zoom.
The study evaluated three primary outcomes: knowledge regarding cancer screenings, attitudes toward cancer screening, and self-reported digital health literacy. These outcomes were measured before the assigned educational program and four weeks after its completion. The study did not measure actual participation in cancer screening.
Read the detailed description
This study was conducted as a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a Social Ecological Model-based social media educational program on women's knowledge and attitudes regarding cancer screenings and their self-reported digital health literacy.
The study included 132 women aged 30-70 years who had not previously undergone breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer screening and who met the other eligibility criteria. Participants completed baseline assessments before group assignment and were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to the experimental group or the active comparator group.
The experimental group received a structured educational program through closed WhatsApp and Instagram groups. During the eight-week program, 53 visual educational posters were shared. The content addressed breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer epidemiology, risk factors, symptoms, screening methods, national screening recommendations, healthy lifestyle behaviors, access to screening services, and digital health literacy. Following the scheduled poster-sharing period, four short reinforcement videos were provided. The intervention therefore comprised a total of 57 educational materials.
The active comparator group received two standardized online educational sessions via Zoom, delivered one week apart. Each session lasted approximately 45-60 minutes. The sessions covered breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings, digital health literacy, and the use of digital health services such as e-Nabız and the Central Physician Appointment System (MHRS). Participants were allowed to ask questions during the sessions but did not receive the repeated social media content or continuous group interaction provided to the experimental group.
The three co-primary outcomes were cancer screening knowledge, attitudes toward cancer screening, and self-reported digital health literacy. The outcomes were assessed using validated Turkish measurement instruments at baseline and four weeks after completion of the assigned educational program.
The educational intervention was developed with reference to the individual, interpersonal, institutional/organizational, community, and policy levels of the Social Ecological Model. However, all outcome measures were collected at the individual level. Actual cancer screening participation, health service utilization, and outcomes at the interpersonal, organizational, community, or policy levels were not measured.
The study was approved by the Istanbul Medipol University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Approval Number: E-10840098-202.3.02-7880). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
- Conditions
- Cervical Cancer Screening, Breast Cancer Screening, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Digital Health Literacy
- Being tested
- Social Media-Based Education, Standard Online Education
- Keywords
- internet based intervention, cancer screening, social media, health literacy, education
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Social Media-Based EducationBehavioural
Also called Instagram & WhatsApp Infographic Education, WhatsApp and Instagram-Based Cancer Screening Education
The intervention consisted of a Social Ecological Model-based educational program delivered through closed WhatsApp and Instagram groups. Fifty-three visual educational posters were shared during the eight-week program. The materials addressed breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer epidemiology, risk factors, symptoms, screening methods, healthy lifestyle behaviors, access to screening services, and digital health literacy. After the scheduled poster-sharing period, four approximately one-minute reinforcement videos covering breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, and digital health literacy were shared. The intervention therefore comprised a total of 57 educational materials.
Standard Online EducationBehavioural
Participants received two standardized online educational sessions via Zoom, delivered one week apart. Each session lasted approximately 45-60 minutes. The sessions covered breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings, preventive health information, digital health literacy, and the use of digital health services such as e-Nabız and MHRS. Participants were allowed to ask questions during the sessions; however, they did not receive the daily social media posts, repeated digital content, or continuous group interaction provided to the experimental group.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media-Based Education Group | Experimental | Participants in this group received a Social Ecological Model-based educational program via closed WhatsApp and Instagram groups. During the eight-week program, 53 visual educational posters addressing breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings and digital health literacy were shared. After completion of the scheduled poster-sharing period, four short reinforcement videos were also provided. A total of 57 educational materials were delivered. Receives: Behavioral: Social Media-Based Education |
| Standard Education Group | Active comparator | Participants in this group received two standard online educational sessions via Zoom, delivered one week apart. Each session lasted approximately 45-60 minutes and used a standardized slide presentation. The sessions covered breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings, digital health literacy, and the use of digital health services. Receives: Behavioral: Standard Online Education |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Cancer Screening Knowledge Score
Cancer screening knowledge was assessed using the 25-item Cancer Screening Knowledge Scale developed in Turkish. Items are answered as correct, incorrect, or "I do not know." Correct responses are scored as 1, and incorrect or "I do not know" responses are scored as 0. The total score ranges from 0 to 25, with higher scores indicating greater knowledge regarding breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings.
Measured: Baseline and 4 weeks after completion of the assigned educational program
Change in Attitudes Toward Cancer Screening
Attitudes toward cancer screening were assessed using the 24-item Cancer Screening Attitude Scale developed in Turkish. Items are rated on a five-point Likert scale. The total score ranges from 24 to 120, with higher scores indicating a more positive attitude toward cancer screening.
Measured: Baseline and 4 weeks after completion of the assigned educational program
Change in Digital Health Literacy Level
Self-reported digital health literacy was assessed using the validated Turkish version of the 18-item Digital Health Literacy Instrument. The instrument includes six dimensions: information searching, evaluating reliability, determining relevance, navigating, adding self-generated content, and protecting privacy. Total and dimension scores are calculated as mean scores ranging from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher self-reported digital health literacy.
Measured: Baseline and 4 weeks after completion of the assigned educational program
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Apr 2025
- Study start3 Jun 2025
- Primary completion31 Dec 2025
- Study completion31 Dec 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Cervical Cancer ScreeningStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to two parallel groups: a social media-based education group and a standard online education group.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 132 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Emine Ergin
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Emine Ergin, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi
- Investigators
- Şerife Çınar, PhD Candidate, Midwife, Principal investigator, Medipol University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06939699
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- SBU-SC2025-RCT
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 15 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 28 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: No prospective plan was established for sharing individual participant data. The study contains potentially identifiable participant information, and public IPD sharing was not incorporated into the study's original data-management procedures. Study findings will be reported in aggregate form.