Factors of mothers related to cervical cancer screening behavior among female university students

<p>Objectives: To examine maternal factors related to cervical cancer screening behavior among female university students.</p><p>Method: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on fourth-year female university students and their mothers. Factors predicted to be related to daughter's screening behavior were analyzed using the χ² test and Mann-Whitney U test. The Ethics Committee of the Kagawa University School of Medicine approved this study.</p><p>Result: We analyzed 59 pairs. Mothers' recommendations strongly influenced daughters' cervical cancer screening behavior. Mothers who recommended screening provided more right answers about cervical cancer. For the items "past conflict/conflict" and "mother's control" of the mother-daughter relationship scale, the factor scores of the group whose mothers did not recommend screening were higher than those of the recommended screening group. For the "confidence in mother" scale item, the factor scores of the non-recommended group were lower than those of the recommended group. These results did not reach statistical significance. Additionally, for the two knowledge queries, the group in which mothers and daughters agreed on their answers had a significantly lower score for "mother&s control" than the inconsistent group.</p><p>Discussion: Adolescent women's cervical cancer screening behavior is strongly influenced by maternal recommendations. Although the mother's knowledge is not directly related to her daughter&s screening behavior, it may associate the behavior of recommending screening with her daughter, suggesting the importance of disseminating knowledge to the mother generation. It was indicated that building a good mother-daughter relationship and sharing correct knowledge may promote cervical cancer screening among adolescent women.</p><p>Conclusion: The encouragement of cervical cancer screening among female university students is related to maternal recommendations. Promoting a good mother-daughter relationship and sharing appropriate knowledge is vital.</p>