Effect of past behavioral experience on intention to use cervical cancer screening services among women in resources poor settings of Ethiopia: applicability of theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Background: Despite; it’s effectively used to predicting the behavioral intentions of different health behaviors; the theory of planned behavior has been rarely tested in the context of low income countries. The current study has examined the effect of past behavioral experience on predictive applicability of theory of planned Behavior to intended use cervical cancer screening among women in resources poor settings. Methods: The study employed cross-sectional design enrolling 422 women visiting maternal and child health clinic. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The research was conducted under the framework of the theory of planned behavior to measure attitude, intention, perceived social and contextual influences. The SPSS version 21.0 was used to analyze the data. A hierarchal multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to estimate the predictive power of the theory. The adjusted R-square and standardized regression coefficient were used to interpret the variance and effects of predictors on intention to cervical cancer screening respectively. P-value less than 5% was used to indicate significant associations. Results: The theory of planned behavior has explained variance in intention to use cervical cancer screening by 23.5% (R 2 =0.235). The inclusion of socio-demographic factors and past behavioral experiences into the model improved the prediction to 34.6% (R 2 = 0.349) indicating;11.40% of the prediction was attributed by factors external to theory. Subjective norm and attitude accounted for the highest and least variances in intention with 12.4% (R 2 = 0.124, F= 64.41, p=0.001) and 5.1% (R 2 = 0.051, F= 22.38, P=0.001) respectively. The past behavioral experience of using cervical cancer screening was significantly accounted for very small variances in intention with; 1% (R 2 = 0.01, F= 4.11, p=0.043) Conclusion: The past behavioral experience has small significant positive effect on the prediction. Intention to use cervical cancer screening among women can fairly be predicted by the application of theory of planned behavior. The predictive power of the theory could be improved with the inclusion of external factors like socio-demographic characteristics and behavioral experiences into the theory. Considering these factors while designing TPB based researches and health behavior change interventions is recommended.

Jaga Jarak, Jauhi Kerumuman! Antara Kepatuhan Lampau, Motivasi, Niat Terhadap Protokol Pembatasan Fisik

“…In TPB, intention is formulated as a function of three factors: positive or negative evaluation of behavioral performance (i.e., attitude), perceived role of significant figures in the execution of behavior (i.e., subjective norm), and perceived degree of difficulty of a behavior (i.e., perceived behavioral control). As concluded in a metanalysis, these three socio-cognitive factors can predict 44% -53% of the intention to display behavior (Abamecha & Tena, 2020). TPB's perspective has at least two limitations: it does not take into account the contribution of general cognition to its three factors and it ignores the existence of general motivation as a source of information on the formation of intentions (Hagger et al, 2002).…”

“…Dalam TPB, niat dirumuskan sebagai fungsi dari tiga faktor; evaluasi positif atau negatif terhadap performa perilaku (sikap), persepsi atas peran yang dimiliki oleh figur signifikan terhadap eksekusi perilaku (norma subjektif), dan persepsi terhadap derajat kesulitan suatu perilaku (persepsi kontrol perilaku). Sebagaimana ditarik kesimpulan dari tiga studi metaanalisis, ketiga faktor sosial-kognitif ini dapat memprediksi 44% -53% niat untuk menampilkan perilaku (Abamecha & Tena, 2020).…”