BMC Public Health. 2026 Feb 28. doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-26555-6. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer, yet agricultural workers especially women remain at high risk due to prolonged sun exposure and limited access to preventive health education. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a social media based educational program on agricultural women’s knowledge of skin cancer risk, self skin examination (SSE), and sun protection behaviors.
METHODS: The single-group pretest-posttest design was employed among 85 agricultural women in the Fethiye district of Muğla, Turkey, between May and July 2024. Participants completed pretest and posttest assessments using a Personal Data Form, the Knowledge and Practices about Skin Cancer and SSE Form, and the Sun Protection Behavior Scale (SPBS). The intervention consisted of five weeks social media-based educational program incorporating culturally adapted visual and interactive content on skin cancer prevention, SSE, and sun safe behaviors. The analysis was performed employing IBM SPSS, with the utilisation of descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, and McNemar tests.
RESULTS: Following the social media-basededucation program, participants showed significant improvements in knowledge and protective behaviors related to skin cancer. The mean knowledge score for skin cancer risk factors increased from 5.08 ± 1.08 to 7.67 ± 0.76 (p < .001), and knowledge of symptoms rose from 8.75 ± 1.70 to 11.81 ± 1.38 (p < .001). The Sun Protection Behavior Scale score also improved from 24.98 ± 4.39 to 25.72 ± 2.40 (p < .001), with significant gains in sun avoidance, sunscreen use, and hat wearing behavior. Knowledge and performance of self skin examination (SSE) improved remarkably; after the intervention, all participants correctly identified SSE principles, including the ABCDE rule, and 88.2% reported performing SSE (p < .001).
CONCLUSIONS: The social media-based educational program substantially improved agricultural women’s knowledge of skin cancer risk factors, self skin examination, and sun protection behaviors. These findings suggest that culturally adapted digital interventions can serve as practical, scalable strategies to promote skin cancer awareness and early detection among rural populations with limited access to traditional health education.
PMID:41761144 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-026-26555-6
