The Effects of Health Belief Components on Women’s Intentions of Early Cancer Screenings

Abstract

This study investigated the impacts of health belief components on women's illness-related attitudes from a cross-national perspective, focusing on how women's perceptions of women-specific cancers and the early screening procedures for these cancers. Online surveys were administered to a total of 944 females aged 30-59 from three countries: the US, Japan, and South Korea. Participants were asked about their health beliefs (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers) and intentions to take early screenings for women-specific cancers. The results of statistical analyses (MANCOVA and multiple regression) indicated that Japanese and South Korean women were significantly higher in degrees of perceived susceptibility and perceived severity compared to US women. However, Japanese women showed the least positive attitude toward cancer prevention among the three countries. Other results also confirmed cross-national differences in health beliefs and their influence on women's attitudes toward cancer prevention, but many of the results were not consistent with the cultural values traditionally associated with each nation. Implications of the findings point to improvements in health promotion practices that target women.