The aim of this study was to apply the Champion’s Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS) to: 1) assess the health beliefs and attitudes associated with previous participation in the national cervical cancer screening program among eligible women in the Czech Republic and; 2)analyze the potential increase in motivation to participate in cervical cancer screening if a home-based HPV self-sampling test were available as an alternative to the conventional Pap smear test performed by a gynecologist. A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted on a representative sample of women eligible for cervical cancer screening in the Czech Republic in March-April 2025. Overall, 1500 women were recruited for the survey and interviewed using the CHBMS. We found that 61% of eligible women reported prior participation in cervical cancer screening. Their participation was strongly associated with perceived benefits (OR 1.6, 95%CI:1.3-2), self-efficacy (OR 1.6, 95%CI: 1.2-2) and perceived barriers (OR 0.4, 95%CI:0.32–0.51), even after adjusting for age, education and monthly income. The availability of a home-based self-administered HPV test instead of a cytological exam performed by a gynecologist would increase the motivation to participate in the screening program in 29% of the eligible women. This increased motivation was strongly associated with the willingness of women to perform the self-test (OR 5.8, 95%CI:4.3–8.1) and with the availability of full coverage of the cost by health insurance (OR 2.0, 95%CI: 1.6–2.5). On the other hand, fear of test misuse and the willingness to follow-up with the physician after the self-test significantly reduced this motivation – OR 0.65 (95%CI: 0.55–0.77) and 0.46 (95%CI: 0.36–0.59), respectively. This study demonstrates that perceived barriers, benefits, and self-efficacy are key drivers of cervical cancer screening participation in the Czech Republic. Self-administered HPV testing offers a promising approach to increase motivation and coverage, especially among under-screened women. Addressing barriers, highlighting benefits, and ensuring effective follow-up can help achieve the WHO’s 70% screening target and reduce cervical cancer incidence. These results provide a basis for targeted public health interventions and call for future studies on the real-world implementation of HPV self-sampling in the Czech HPV-based screening transition, including provider perspectives on integration.
Janousková et al. (Thu,) studied this question.