Cervical cancer screening willingness and associated health beliefs among predominantly college-educated young women attending gynecology clinics in Shenzhen, China

PurposeThis study examined cervical cancer screening willingness and its associations with Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs among predominantly college-educated young women attending gynecology outpatient clinics in Shenzhen, China.MethodsA cross-sectional convenience-sampling survey was conducted (May 2023–May 2026) among 2,317 young women recruited from gynecology outpatient clinics in Shenzhen, China. The primary outcome was personal willingness to undergo screening (single binary item). Self-reported screening within three years was an exploratory secondary outcome. Thirty-three Likert items measured seven HBM domains. Seven HBM domains were treated as investigator-constructed summary scores and examined only exploratorily.ResultsMost participants were aged 18–24 years (96.8%), unmarried (97.1%), and college-educated (95.5%). Screening willingness was reported by 88.3% and screening within the previous three years by 9.5%. Because these indicators capture different constructs (future willingness vs. previous screening experience) and eligibility was not assessed, their difference was not interpreted as a willingness–behavior gap. Cronbach’s α ranged 0.890–0.965. In adjusted models, perceived barriers were inversely associated with willingness (aOR = 0.454, 95% CI 0.375–0.550), while cues to action (aOR = 1.399, 95% CI 1.189–1.646), perceived severity (aOR = 1.257, 95% CI 1.038–1.523), perceived benefits (aOR = 1.194, 95% CI 1.017–1.402), and HPV vaccination (aOR = 1.576, 95% CI 1.161–2.137) were positively associated.ConclusionWillingness to undergo screening was commonly reported, whereas prior screening experience was limited. Perceived barriers and cues to action were key correlates. Findings support guideline-based prevention communication but are cross-sectional and limited by clinic-based convenience sampling in Shenzhen, China; causal effects cannot be inferred.