Breast cancer screening motivation among women: an application of self-determination theory

Background: Breast cancer is a major health concern worldwide, especially in Vietnam. This study aimed to explore women's motivation for and factors related to breast cancer screening.

Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted in Danang, Vietnam, using a convergent parallel approach. This study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather the data. The quantitative approach involved surveys to assess motivation levels and related factors, including demographic information and experience with breast cancer screening. In-depth qualitative interviews were used to gain deeper insights into participants' perspectives and experiences related to breast cancer screening.

Results: The average motivation score for breast cancer screening was moderate (3.55 ± 0.55). Ethnicity, regular health check-ups, family history of breast cancer, receiving information about breast cancer, and women's health issues have direct relationships with breast cancer screening motivation. According to the qualitative data, three categories emerged: intrinsic motivation, external motivation/internalization, and amotivation. The individual, and sociocultural environmental factors impacted screening motivation.

Conclusions: This study highlights the motivations behind breast cancer screening among women. Healthcare providers could use these findings to improve screening policies and guidelines and encourage more women to undergo regular screening, ultimately reducing the incidence of breast cancer in the community.