The College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad hosted a defense of a master’s thesis titled “The Effectiveness of an Intervention Based on the Health Belief Model in Promoting Lung Cancer Screening Among University Students Who Smoke: A Controlled Randomized Trial)” by researcher Mithaq Nofal Qasim Bektash, supervised by Assistant Professor Dr. Isen Kamal Muhammad, in the college’s main auditorium.
The thesis aimed to determine the effectiveness of a Health Belief Model-based intervention in promoting lung cancer screening among university students who smoke.
The study’s results indicated that the intervention based on the Health Belief Model led to a statistically significant improvement in the level of knowledge, risk perception, and perception of the benefits related to lung cancer screening among university students who smoke, as well as a limited improvement in self-efficacy, while it had no statistically significant effect on perceived barriers. The researcher received a grade of “Excellent.”
The study recommended adopting educational programs based on the Health Belief Model in educational institutions to promote awareness and healthy beliefs regarding lung cancer screening among students who smoke, It also recommended developing additional interventions aimed at reducing perceived barriers to lung cancer screening and conducting future studies that include other population groups at higher risk of lung cancer, with the goal of increasing participation in early detection programs.
This scientific output aligns with the college’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 on “Good Health and Well-being,” by supporting medical and preventive research that seeks to reduce the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, strengthen early detection systems, and raise levels of
health literacy in both academic and community settings.
