Survey finds accuracy most important attribute for HPV self-sampling acceptance in under-screened women

A cross-sectional survey study collected 200 valid responses from women in under-screened populations to assess acceptance and preferences regarding HPV self-sampling. The study used a discrete choice experiment to evaluate the relative importance of five key attributes: accuracy, procedural difficulty, comfort, sampling time, and price. The primary outcome was women's acceptance and preferences, with secondary outcomes including relative importance (RI) for each attribute, willingness-to-pay, and preference heterogeneity.

The analysis found that accuracy was the attribute with the greatest weight in women's preferences, with a relative importance of 42.55%. Price was the second most important attribute (RI 20.67%), followed by sampling time (RI 13.66%), procedural difficulty (RI 11.68%), and comfort (RI 11.45%). A statistical model indicated that low accuracy had a significant negative effect on acceptance (β = -6.640, p < 0.05), meaning it markedly reduced the likelihood a woman would accept the self-sampling option.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported in this preference study. The study's practice relevance lies in informing the development of equitable cervical cancer screening strategies that aim to reduce barriers and expand access. A key limitation is the cross-sectional design, which captures preferences at a single point in time and does not establish causality or predict long-term behavior. The sample of 200 responses, while valid, may not be fully representative of all under-screened populations, and the specific setting was not reported.