Objective: Early detection of cancers essentially depends on knowledge of the warning signs. This study, therefore, aimed at investigating the effect of Health Belief Model (HBM)-based educational intervention on the knowledge and perceived beliefs of women about the warning signs of cancer. Methods: This experimental study with intervention ( n = 80) and control ( n = 80) groups was performed at four urban health centers affiliated to the university. Data collection was done in two phases, before and one month after the educational intervention, using three instruments, a demographic-clinical information questionnaire, the awareness questionnaire on cancer warning signs, and the cancer warning signs-HBM questionnaire. Results: The results of the multivariate repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated that the hypothesis of this study was confirmed. It means that “women's knowledge and their perceived beliefs of cancer warning signs” improved after HBM-based educational intervention in the intervention group, compared to the controls over time. Thus, the “level of knowledge” and perceived beliefs of the women in the intervention group compared to the controls increased, in terms of perceived “sensitivity,” “severity,” “benefits,” “barriers,” “cue to action,” and “self-efficacy” over time ( P < 0.001). Conclusions: It could be hoped that this intervention would be effective for improving the performance of women in health-promoting behaviors of cancer prevention. It is recommended that health-care providers plan for HBM-based educational interventions, based on educational needs of the target groups at different community levels.

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Introduction: The number of new cancer cases in the world and in developing countries such as Iran is still growing. Success in early detection of cancer largely depends on people's awareness of the early warning signs of cancers. This study aimed to determine the level of women's awareness about the warning signs of cancers and its association with demographic and clinical characteristics. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 160 women referred to the four health centers affiliated with the Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. The data were obtained using two researchers-made questionnaires, including demographic-clinical characteristics questionnaire and questionnaire of awareness for cancer signs. Results: The mean age of women in this study was 29.9 ± 7.1 years. According to the results, over 50% of women were not aware of five signs out of 10 warning signs of cancer. More than half of the women (56.2%) had a low level of awareness and poor knowledge of cancer warning signs. The results of linear regression analysis showed that only the women's level of education was significantly associated with their awareness of the warning signs of cancer (p =0.007, β =0.28). In total, 11% of the variations in women's awareness of the warning signs of cancer were predicted by this variable. Conclusion: considering the low level of knowledge of women about the warning signs of cancers, there is an important need for community/ public health nurses in the community. In addition, the findings reinforce need for implementing intervention programs from school phase to adulthood supported by health policy makers.