published_or_final_version / Obstetrics and Gynaecology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Ho, Ching Sze. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-160). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / DECLARATION --- p.I / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.II / ABSTRACT (ENGLISH VERSION) --- p.IV / ABSTRACT (CHINESE VERSION) --- p.VII / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.IX / LIST OF FUGURES --- p.XII / LIST OF TABLES --- p.XIII / LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS --- p.XV / Chapter CHAPTER 1: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Biology of human papillomavirus --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- History --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Classification --- p.3 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Genome structure --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- Life cycle --- p.9 / Chapter 1.2 --- Epidemiology of cervical cancer --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Spectrum of cervical neoplasia --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Incidence of cervical cancer --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Screening programme --- p.16 / Chapter 1.3 --- Risk factors for cervical cancer --- p.17 / Chapter 1.4 --- Oncogenic HPV infection --- p.20 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- Risk association --- p.21 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Geographical distribution --- p.23 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Age distribution --- p.24 / Chapter 1.4.4 --- Oncogenic property of HPV --- p.25 / Chapter 1.4.5 --- Sequence variation --- p.28 / Chapter 1.5 --- Prevention by vaccination --- p.30 / Chapter 1.6 --- Objectives --- p.31 / Chapter CHAPTER 2: --- MATERIALS AND METHODS --- p.33 / Chapter 2.1 --- HPV type and prevalence distribution --- p.34 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Study population --- p.34 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Specimen and epidemiological data collection --- p.34 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- DNA extraction --- p.35 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- PCR amplification of DNA --- p.36 / Chapter 2.1.4.1 --- PCR for Beta-globin --- p.36 / Chapter 2.1.4.2 --- PCR for HPV DNA --- p.37 / Chapter 2.1.5 --- HPV typing by reverse line-blot hybridization --- p.39 / Chapter 2.1.6 --- Statistical method --- p.40 / Chapter 2.2 --- HPV 52 SEQUENCE VARIATION --- p.43 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Study population --- p.43 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Specimen processing --- p.43 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- DNA extraction --- p.44 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- PCR amplification for sequencing --- p.45 / Chapter 2.2.4.1 --- Optimization of gene-specific PCR --- p.45 / Chapter 2.2.4.2 --- Validation of type-specificity of gene-specific PCR --- p.46 / Chapter 2.2.4.3 --- PCR for HPV52 E6 and E7 --- p.46 / Chapter 2.2.4.4 --- PCR for LI gene --- p.47 / Chapter 2.2.4.5 --- PCR for long control region (LCR) --- p.48 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Purification of PCR products --- p.49 / Chapter 2.2.6 --- Sequencing --- p.50 / Chapter 2.2.6.1 --- Preparation of template --- p.50 / Chapter 2.2.6.2 --- Purification of template --- p.50 / Chapter 2.2.6.3 --- Sequencer and data analysis --- p.51 / Chapter 2.2.7 --- Statistical methods --- p.51 / Chapter CHAPTER 3: --- RESULTS --- p.54 / Chapter 3.1 --- HPV TYPE AND PREVALENCE DISTRIBUTION --- p.55 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Study population --- p.55 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- HPV prevalence --- p.59 / Chapter 3.1.2.1 --- Prevalence for HPV infection --- p.59 / Chapter 3.1.2.2 --- HPV age-specific prevalence --- p.68 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Epidemiological risk profile --- p.73 / Chapter 3.1.3.1 --- Age-adjusted analyses --- p.73 / Chapter 3.1.3.2 --- Multivariate analyses --- p.76 / Chapter 3.2 --- HPV52 SEQUENCE VARIATION --- p.79 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Study population --- p.79 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Sequence variability of HPV52 --- p.79 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- HPV52 --- p.82 / Chapter 3.2.3.1 --- Sequence variation of E6 ORF --- p.82 / Chapter 3.2.3.2. --- HPV52 E6 variants and risk for cervical neoplasia --- p.86 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- HPV52 E7 --- p.89 / Chapter 3.2.4.1 --- Sequence variation of E7 ORF --- p.89 / Chapter 3.2.4.2 --- HPV52 E7 variants and risk for cervical neoplasia --- p.93 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- HPV52 LI --- p.95 / Chapter 3.2.5.1 --- Sequence variation of LI ORF --- p.95 / Chapter 3.2.5.2 --- HPV52 LI variants and risk for cervical neoplasia --- p.100 / Chapter 3.2.6 --- HPV52 long control region (LCR) --- p.104 / Chapter 3.2.6.1 --- Sequence variation of LCR --- p.104 / Chapter 3.2.6.2 --- HPV52 LCR variants and risk for cervical neoplasia --- p.110 / Chapter CHAPTER 4: --- DISCUSSION --- p.113 / Chapter 4.1 --- HPV PREVALENCE AND TYPE DISTRIBUTION --- p.114 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- HPV prevalence --- p.114 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Age-specific prevalence --- p.116 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Epidemiological risk profile --- p.121 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Conclusions --- p.126 / Chapter 4.2 --- HPV 52 SEQUENCE VARIATION --- p.127 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Sequence variability of HPV52 --- p.127 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Sequence variation of E6 gene --- p.129 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Sequence variation of E7 gene --- p.132 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Sequence variation of LI gene --- p.134 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Sequence variation of LCR --- p.135 / Chapter 4.2.6 --- Conclusions --- p.139 / Chapter 4.3 --- FURTHER STUDIES --- p.140 / REFERENCES --- p.142 / APPENDIXES --- p.A

A model was developed in this study to understand women's cervical screening behaviour. It revealed that the interaction among institutional factors, risk appraisal, coping appraisal, and health beliefs and cultural factors contributed to the complex nature of screening behaviour among Chinese women. The institutional component provided the contextual factors within which women perceived the risk of cervical cancer, perceived the practice of cervical screening, and decided to take or not to take cervical screening. Risk appraisal provided the premise factor that induces women to seek coping strategies to reduce or remove the risk. During the process of coping appraisal, women's motivation to have cervical screening could be increased or decreased as the perceived benefits and costs of screening interacted with each other. The importance of the women's health beliefs and cultural factors was reflected in the way that they were affected by their notions of health behaviour and their cultural beliefs about cervical cancer risk and cervical screening participation. Commitment to participate in screening was a reinforcing factor inducing women to take up an offer of cervical screening. / Aim: To explore the knowledge and the perception of the risk of cervical cancer, identify the factors determining cervical screening behaviour, and develop a model to understand cervical screening behaviour among women in mainland China. / Background: Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer, and is the second most common cause of cancer death in women in mainland China. Cervical screening is the most important intervention for the secondary prevention of cervical cancer. Theories of health behaviour and empirical research highlight risk perception as a significant factor motivating people to opt for cancer screening. However, little is known about the risk perception of cervical cancer and the factors influencing the screening participation of women in mainland China. / Conclusion: This study provides evidence of the complex factors influencing cervical screening behaviour and contributes new knowledge to the understanding of cervical screening behaviour within the Chinese cultural context. It further informs programmes for the promotion of cervical screening among this population. / Methods: A mixed method design consisting of two phases was used, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. First, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect a baseline assessment of women's knowledge of cervical cancer and screening, their perceptions of the risk of cervical cancer, and the relationship between these factors and their cervical screening behaviour. Findings from this phase also guided the purposive sampling of participants in phase two. / Results: The findings from phase one demonstrated that the availability of an organized screening programme was a major motivator for women to opt for cervical screening. Multivariate analysis shows that having children (OR=2.57, p=0.026), a perception that visiting doctors regularly is important for health (OR-2.66, p=0.025), average (OR-4.84, 1)=0.006) and high levels of knowledge about cervical screening (OR-9.66, p=0.001) were significantly associated with having been screened in the previous three years. / Then in phase two, qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured interviews of 27 women, 16 of whom had been screened and 11 had not. The interview structure was based on an initial analysis of the data from phase one and from a review of the related literature. The data from the interviews were analyzed using latent content analysis, involving an interpretative reading of the symbolism underlying the surface structure in the text. The audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed verbatim in Chinese, and then the key phrases which were important for the objectives of the study were identified. The key phrases and words were grouped according to their commonality of meaning. Then, these groups of data were sorted and classified to create categories and sub-categories, which were mutually exclusive, explicit and accurate without overlapping. / Two themes emerged from the qualitative data from phase two. Theme I was that perceptions of cervical cancer and cervical screening included five categories: the perceived effects of suffering from cervical cancer; the perception of cervical screening; a lack of understanding about cervical cancer and screening; the perceived risk of cervical cancer; and factors related to the cultural beliefs system. Theme II was that the institutional and health care practitioner system included two categories: availability of an organised physical examination programme and the role of the health care practitioner in encouraging cervical screening utilization. / Gu, Can. / Adviser: Chan, Carmen. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-02, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 244-267). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.