How face-to-face and online patient–provider communication associate with cervical cancer screening behaviors: The mediating roles of human papillomavirus (HPV) awareness and cancer worry

Cervical cancer screening is a crucial cancer detection measure that can be facilitated by effective patient–provider communication (PPC). This study examined how face-to-face patient–provider communication (FPPC) and online patient–provider communication (OPPC) were associated with cervical cancer screening behaviors through the mediation of human papillomavirus (HPV) awareness and cancer worry. Using data from 3133 women in the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 6, 2022), we applied structural equation modeling to examine our model. Results suggested that FPPC and OPPC positively correlated with screening behaviors. HPV awareness acted as a mediator in the relationship between OPPC and screening behaviors. Cancer worry mediated the association between FPPC/OPPC and screening behaviors but functioned differently: increased FPPC diminished cancer worry, whereas heightened OPPC augmented it. Only OPPC was linked to screening behaviors via sequential mediation of HPV awareness and cancer worry, underscoring the significance of promoting screening through cognition-affect mechanism in the digital era.