Individual and community effectiveness of a cervical cancer screening program for semi-urban Mexican women

Validity of a questionnaire on self-efficacy for Pap test adherence screening

Introduction

Self-efficacy has been related to different health preventive behaviors, included adherence to the Papanicolaou test—also called Pap smear or Pap test. The aim of this study is to test construct and criterion validity and reliability of a questionnaire on self-efficacy and the Pap test in Chilean women.

Method

This study was carried out on a sample of 969 women of ages from 25 to 64, who are users of the public health care system in Santiago, Chile. The validity of the Self-Efficacy Scale for the Pap Smear Screening Participation (SES-PSSP) questionnaire was done by confirmatory factor analysis, external criteria by t-test, and reliability by Cronbach’s alpha.

Results

Three models were tested, obtaining a questionnaire with 20 items and 2 dimensions. The criteria validity was confirmed by adherence to the Pap test. The final questionnaire has a reliability of 0.95, measured by Cronbach´s alpha.

Conclusion

A valid and reliable questionnaire to measure self-efficacy in relation to the Pap test is a relevant contribution in cervical cancer prevention, especially related to interventions focused on increasing adherence.

Lay-Based Morbidity Profiles of Sugar Cane Workers: Testing a New Method Using Free Lists

Epidemiological profiles are key elements in preventive medicine and public health planning activities. There are no standard methods to identify these profiles. We explored the epidemiological profile of sugar cane workers in the municipality of Ginebra (Valle del Cauca, Colombia) using free lists of municipal morbidity data. We administered an instrument to 30 sugar cane workers, 15 health care workers and 15 people from the general community in order to compare the health problems experienced by the community. Sugar cane workers reported their own health problems and health professionals and community members served as informants for health problems in the general community. Respiratory problems were part of the morbidity profile of all groups evaluated, flu was part of the profile of the general community, and other respiratory problems were part of the profile of sugar cane workers and health personnel. Musculoskeletal problems were predominant only for sugar cane workers, and we found differences between the health problems expressed by the community and those reported by health personnel. The free lists method constitutes a quick, efficient, and useful tool to develop an approximation of an epidemiological profile and is easily interpreted, especially when typical and previously described occupational diseases are considered together with diseases associated with occupational groups. Epidemiological profiles based on free lists are useful to identify new opportunities for prevention strategies.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of health education interventions to increase cervical cancer screening uptake

Background

Cervical cancer screening reduced cancer morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Health education interventions are expected to enhance screening and early detection. Thus, this review is aimed to see the effectiveness of the interventions in cervical cancer screening uptake.

Methods

Online databases (PubMed/MEDLINE/PubMed Central, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science and Google Scholar) were searched for all published eligible research articles in the past 12 years (as of January 2005-2017). A total of 17 research articles were included. The interventions were classified as 'individual level', 'community level' and 'cultural sensitive educations' which contains various interventions in their content as compared with usual care. A quality coding system was assessed using Cochrane checklists and rated by each researcher independently and the average score was given accordingly. This study was registered in PROSPERO 2017: CRD42017060405.

Results

The review dovetailed 17 studies. Ten studies (58.82%) were conducted in the United States, three in Iran (17.65%) and one each in Malaysia, China, Cameroon and Nigeria (23.53%). Almost all levels of the interventions boosted the screening uptake and the Pap test. However, the individual level health education interventions were prioritized in many of the studies.

Conclusion

The review indicated that health education interventions have immense contributions in boosting the screening uptake. However, the effectiveness varies with study setting, populations and the way of delivery. Therefore, the limited quality of the studies indicated that further research is required to develop a simple and effective intervention to boost cervical cancer screening uptake.

A Culturally Sensitive Approach to Cervical Cancer Prevention in the Latina Population Using the Promotora Model

Latina women of low socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable to morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer. Lower rates of screening are associated with increased mortality rates in this population. Community health workers known as promotoras de salud can be an effective part of the health care team to help improve health care access in this population. Promotoras using a cervical cancer education curriculum known as AMIGAS can help promote access to services, provide education, and possibly save lives in an underserved population. Nurses and advanced practice nurses who care for underserved Latina women can collaborate with promotoras to increase women's knowledge of cervical cancer screening and of community-based resources available to increase their access to Pap testing and human papillomavirus vaccination.

Mujer Sana, Familia Fuerte: The Effects of a Culturally-Relevant, Community-Based, <i>Promotores</i> Program to Increase Cervical Cancer Screening among Latinas

OBJECTIVE

Although cervical cancer can be prevented through screening and follow-up, Latinas' rate of Pap tests remains low due to knowledge gaps and cultural and attitudinal factors.

METHODS

This study used a single-group pre-/post-test design to evaluate the effectiveness of Mujer Sana, Familia Fuerte (Healthy Woman, Strong Family), an intervention intended to improve Latinas' cervical cancer prevention knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy to obtain a Pap test, and intention to get tested. The intervention is delivered through a single session by promotores de salud, who use a culturally competent, linguistically appropriate toolkit. A total of 5,211 Latinas participated in the study.

RESULTS

The evaluation indicated that participants had increases in knowledge, positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and intention to test.

CONCLUSION

Latinas have a low rate of cervical cancer screening but a high rate of cervical cancer, and Mujer Sana, Familia Fuerte shows promise as a public health practice for use with this population.

The development of a brief jail-based cervical health promotion intervention

The primary objective of this article was to describe the development and pilot implementation of a brief jail-based cervical health promotion intervention. The intervention was guided by a preliminary study of incarcerated women's cervical health knowledge, awareness, and health literacy, as well as a social and feminist approach to intervention development. We developed and conducted a pilot implementation of the Sexual Health Empowerment Project to increase cervical health knowledge, reduce barriers related to beliefs about cervical cancer, and improve self-efficacy and confidence in navigating health systems. This article offers a framework for how empirically and theory-based interventions are developed and tailored for a jail setting. Future work should include the evaluation of the long-term effects of such a disease-specific program on health behaviors and outcomes among high-risk and vulnerable groups of women as they leave jails and enter communities.