title: Health beliefs associated with cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese Americans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vietnamese American women represent one of the ethnic subgroups at great risk for cervical cancer in the United States. The underutilization of cervical cancer screening and the vulnerability of Vietnamese American women to cervical cancer may be compounded by their health beliefs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to explore the associations between factors of the Health Belief Model (HBM) and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese American women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vietnamese American women (n=1,450) were enrolled into the randomized controlled trial (RCT) study who were recruited from 30 Vietnamese community-based organizations located in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Participants completed baseline assessments of demographic and acculturation variables, health care access factors, and constructs of the HBM, as well as health behaviors in either English or Vietnamese.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of those who had ever undergone cervical cancer screening was 53% (769/1450) among the participants. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, the significant associated factors from HBM included: believing themselves at risk and more likely than average women to get cervical cancer; believing that cervical cancer changes life; believing a Pap test is important for staying healthy, not understanding what is done during a Pap test, being scared to know having cervical cancer; taking a Pap test is embarrassing; not being available by doctors at convenient times; having too much time for a test; believing no need for a Pap test when feeling well; and being confident in getting a test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding how health beliefs may be associated with cervical cancer screening among underserved Vietnamese American women is essential for identifying the subgroup of women who are most at risk for cervical cancer and would benefit from intervention programs to increase screening rates.
authors: Department of Public Health, Center for Asian Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA. grace.ma@temple.edu
authors: Grace X
authors: GX
authors: Ma
authors: Wanzhen
authors: W
authors: Gao
authors: Carolyn Y
authors: CY
authors: Fang
authors: Yin
authors: Y
authors: Tan
authors: Ziding
authors: Z
authors: Feng
authors: Shaokui
authors: S
authors: Ge
authors: Joseph An
authors: JA
authors: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult