Parental Influence and Traditional Cultural Beliefs: Reasons for the lack of Cervical Cancer Screening among Second-Generation Chinese-American College Students
Angel H. Bair, Sadie P. Hutson, Kristin M. Burnette

Abstract
Invasive cervical cancer is preventable when adherence to preventive screening guidelines is followed. However, Asian American women are lagging in preventative screenings. The purpose of this study was to determine reasons for second-generation Chinese-American college students’ lack of preventative cervical cancer screening. We employed a qualitative descriptive design, consisting of in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The sample consisted of 21 Chinese-American, unmarried college students enrolled in an undergraduate program at a Mid-Atlantic university. Five major themes of the college students interviewed arose: (1) My mom never stressed it, (2) I don’t have any problems, (3) I don’t know much about it, (4) I don’t want to bring it up, and (5) it’s a lot of effort. The findings support the need for further recognition and consideration of Chinese-American cultural views during health promoting educational activities as well as future research to develop and test interventions to promote preventive screenings in this population.

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