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Impact of Ovarian Cancer Education on Ovarian Cancer Health-Seeking Practices among Women in Nigeria

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is an important women's health concern that may have serious consequences when diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Early symptoms of ovarian cancer can be vague or easily mistaken for common gastrointestinal, menstrual, or other health conditions, which may contribute to delayed recognition and healthcare-seeking. Women may also face barriers such as limited knowledge of ovarian cancer symptoms and risk factors, misconceptions, fear of cancer diagnosis, stigma, financial constraints, geographical barriers, and limited access to appropriate healthcare services. Ovarian cancer education provides an opportunity to improve women's understanding of potential warning signs, risk factors, the importance of timely medical evaluation, and appropriate healthcare-seeking. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of ovarian cancer education on ovarian cancer health-seeking practices among women in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, and the Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how women's perceptions of their susceptibility to ovarian cancer, perceived severity, perceived benefits of early medical evaluation, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their health-seeking practices. Andersen's Behavioral Model explains how predisposing characteristics, enabling resources, and healthcare needs influence women's utilization of healthcare services. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the interaction between individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and broader societal factors in shaping women's access to cancer information and healthcare. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how ovarian cancer education may influence health-seeking practices among women in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative analytical cross-sectional or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise adult women attending selected hospitals, primary healthcare centres, women's health clinics, community health programmes, workplaces, and other relevant settings across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, local government areas, communities, healthcare facilities, organizations, and eligible women. Ovarian cancer education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to structured cancer education, frequency and duration of educational sessions, information on potential warning signs, risk factors, family history, genetic risk, the importance of seeking medical evaluation for persistent or concerning symptoms, available healthcare services, cancer referral pathways, and appropriate sources of cancer information. Ovarian cancer health-seeking practices will be assessed using indicators such as prompt consultation for persistent or concerning symptoms, utilization of primary healthcare services, willingness to undergo appropriate clinical evaluation, compliance with referrals, follow-up attendance, avoidance of prolonged self-medication or unverified treatments, and utilization of appropriate cancer-related healthcare services. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, healthcare records where appropriate, referral records, and relevant cancer education programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, exposure to ovarian cancer education, and patterns of health-seeking practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of ovarian cancer education on health-seeking practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, health-seeking intention or practice scores before and after structured education may be compared, while relevant demographic, socioeconomic, reproductive, family-history, cultural, and healthcare-access factors are appropriately controlled. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that ovarian cancer education has a significant positive impact on ovarian cancer health-seeking practices among women in Nigeria. Women who receive structured and evidence-based ovarian cancer education are expected to demonstrate greater awareness of concerning symptoms and a stronger tendency to seek appropriate medical evaluation when persistent or unusual symptoms occur. Education may reduce misconceptions, improve recognition of potential warning signs, increase perceived importance of early medical assessment, and discourage prolonged self-medication or reliance on unverified treatments. Improved awareness may also encourage women to use appropriate healthcare facilities and comply with referrals and follow-up recommendations. However, financial constraints, fear of cancer diagnosis, stigma, cultural beliefs, misinformation, geographical barriers, limited access to specialist services, and weaknesses in referral systems may continue to influence health-seeking practices. The study therefore expects accessible, culturally appropriate, evidence-based, and regularly reinforced ovarian cancer education to contribute significantly to improved health-seeking practices among women in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on ovarian cancer education, cancer health-seeking practices, women's health, cancer awareness, early cancer detection, reproductive health, health education, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health, hospitals, primary healthcare centres, cancer centres, healthcare providers, community health workers, women's health programmes, cancer advocacy organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving timely healthcare-seeking for possible ovarian cancer symptoms. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating ovarian cancer education into appropriate women's health and primary healthcare programmes, training healthcare workers in cancer symptom communication and referral, developing culturally appropriate educational materials, strengthening referral and follow-up systems, improving access to reliable cancer information, and promoting timely medical evaluation among women across Nigeria.

Keywords: Ovarian cancer education, ovarian cancer health-seeking practices, women, ovarian cancer awareness, cancer prevention, early detection, women's health, reproductive health, healthcare utilization, health education, Nigeria, public health.