Health beliefs, locus of control, emotional control and women's cancer screening behaviour

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Abstract
Improvements in women's cancer-screening behaviours can lead to a reduction in the incidence of breast and cervical cancer. This paper considers the utility of three social psychological models as predictors of such behaviours. Almost 400 women throughout Northern Ireland completed a questionnaire designed to measure the extent of their cancer-screening behaviour, their health beliefs about cancer, their health locus of control and their emotional control. It was found that several components of the health belief model and of locus of control were predictors of the behaviours. The most important predictor of breast self-examination was confidence in how to practise BSE while the most important predictor of attendance for cervical smears was lack of fear of the consequences of the investigation. The findings are discussed with reference to attempts to promote these practices.

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