SILVA, V. A.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/7031129997170165; SILVA, Valeria Alves da.
Résumé:
Sexual practice as a professional activity still attributes the woman who performs it with great
stigma and prejudice towards society, causing resistance to the search for health care. In view
of this, in addition to the multiplicity of partners, they present an insufficient preventive
practice, which ends up compromising their sexual and reproductive health, favoring the
development of diseases, such as Cervical Cancer. The objective of this study was to
investigate the knowledge of women sex workers in relation to cervical cancer and the Pap
test. This is an exploratory, descriptive field study, using a quantitative and qualitative
approach based on the action research strategy. The study was carried out with 12 Sex
Professional Women, in the places where they offer their services in the municipality of
Cajazeiras-PB. For data collection, during the situational diagnosis, a questionnaire was
applied to identify the weaknesses in the women's knowledge regarding cervical cancer and
the Pap smear, afterwards the educational intervention was carried out in face of the
situational diagnosis, using a second questionnaire to assess the knowledge acquired by
women from the action taken. Content analysis with categorization by the method proposed
by Laurence Bardin was used as a method, also using the software Interface de R pour les
Analyzes Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires. The study respected the
ethical precepts set forth in Resolution 466/2012 of the National Health Council, being
approved by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Campina Grande / Teacher
Training Center under opinion No. 3.329.774. The participants' inadequate knowledge
regarding the theme was observed, since they did not know how to define the neoplasia, in
addition to ignoring the risk factors involved in the development of the given cancer.
Although they report performing the Pap smear test, the vast majority did not use it as a
method for screening for cervical cancer, but for diagnosing other diseases. Therefore,
through the results it was possible to identify that the educational action managed to achieve
the proposed objectives, since the participants reported an increase in knowledge about the
theme, allowing the construction of new knowledge and their empowerment regarding
health.