Psychological Barriers to Cancer Screening Uptake Among Adults in Ibadan: A Health Belief Model Application

Psychological factors including perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers are central determinants of cancer screening behaviour, as conceptualised by the Health Belief Model. This study applied the Health Belief Model to examine psychological barriers to cancer screening uptake among adults in Ibadan, Oyo State, South West Nigeria. An analytical cross-sectional survey was conducted with 310 adults aged 30 to 60 years recruited from healthcare facilities and community centres in Ibadan North, Egbeda, and Ona-Ara local government areas. A validated Health Belief Model-adapted questionnaire was used for data collection. Path analysis was employed to test the proposed theoretical model. Results confirmed that low perceived susceptibility to cancer (beta negative 0.39), high perceived barriers (beta negative 0.43), and low perceived benefits of screening (beta 0.36) were the strongest predictors of non-screening. Cues to action, including prior exposure to cancer health education, significantly mediated the relationship between perceived benefits and screening intention. The study provides empirical evidence for applying the Health Belief Model in designing targeted health education programmes to improve cancer screening uptake in Ibadan and similar urban Nigerian contexts. Keywords: cancer screening, Health Belief Model, psychological barriers, Ibadan, health education