Cervical cancer screening willingness and associated health beliefs among predominantly college-educated young women attending gynecology clinics in Shenzhen, China.
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PURPOSE: This study examined cervical cancer screening willingness and its associations with Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs among predominantly college-educated young women attending gynecology outpatient clinics in Shenzhen, China. METHODS: A cross-sectional convenience-sampling survey was conducted (May 2023-May 2026) among 2,317 young women recruited from gynecology outpatient clinics in Shenzhen, China. The primary outcome was personal willingness to undergo screening (single binary item). Self-reported screening within three years was an exploratory secondary outcome. Thirty-three Likert items measured seven HBM domains. Seven HBM domains were treated as investigator-constructed summary scores and examined only exploratorily. RESULTS: Most participants were aged 18-24 years (96.8%), unmarried (97.1%), and college-educated (95.5%). Screening willingness was reported by 88.3% and screening within the previous three years by 9.5%. Because these indicators capture different constructs (future willingness vs. previous screening experience) and eligibility was not assessed, their difference was not interpreted as a willingness-behavior gap. Cronbach's α ranged 0.890-0.965. In adjusted models, perceived barriers were inversely associated with willingness (aOR = 0.454, 95% CI 0.375-0.550), while cues to action (aOR = 1.399, 95% CI 1.189-1.646), perceived severity (aOR = 1.257, 95% CI 1.038-1.523), perceived benefits (aOR = 1.194, 95% CI 1.017-1.402), and HPV vaccination (aOR = 1.576, 95% CI 1.161-2.137) were positively associated. CONCLUSION: Willingness to undergo screening was commonly reported, whereas prior screening experience was limited. Perceived barriers and cues to action were key correlates. Findings support guideline-based prevention communication but are cross-sectional and limited by clinic-based convenience sampling in Shenzhen, China; causal effects cannot be inferred.