South Asian Women have a Significant Lack of Knowledge on Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is a leading cause of death among underprivileged women and despite advancements in prevention strategies, it continues to be a problem. In Australia, cervical cancer incidence rates are low compared to other countries, but there are still disparities in cervical screening uptake among certain population subgroups, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. South Asian immigrant women, in particular, have been found to have lower cervical screening uptake than Australian-born women and those from other immigrant backgrounds.
A recent study, “Reasons behind Low Cervical Screening Uptake among South Asian Immigrant Women: A Qualitative Exploration,” aimed to gain insight into the reasons and barriers for low cervical screening participation among South Asian immigrant women. The study conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 women, aged 26–50 years, living in Queensland, Australia.
The data was analyzed via inductive thematic approach, and three main themes were identified:
- Deficits in knowledge of cervical cancer and its prevention opportunities
- Barriers influencing cervical screening uptake
- Increasing cervical screening participation.
One of the most prominent themes was the significant lack of knowledge and even unfamiliarity with cervical cancer among the participants. Many of the women had not heard of the term “cervical cancer” before and were not aware of the term used in their first languages for the disease. Some even confused it with the respective term used for uterine cancer in their native languages.
“I have heard of breast cancer, just the word cancer but have not heard beyond this that what types of cancer are there. I just know that cancer is a disease, it occurs and is not very good. A person can die of it. I don’t know anything else about it,” said one participant (Participant 11).
Another participant commented,
“No, they have not heard of it either, whomever I have talked to, friends or others don’t know, even I have heard of it today for the first time. We hear that someone died of cancer… but especially this cancer cervical, no one knows” (Participant 7).
This study highlights the significant lack of knowledge and awareness about cervical cancer and screening among South Asian immigrant women in Australia. It also sheds light on the various barriers that prevent these women from taking part in cervical screening, including misconceptions, practical constraints, and sociocultural beliefs. The results of this study underscore the importance of culturally-informed interventions that provide clear and accurate information, and address the specific concerns and barriers faced by South Asian immigrant women.
As a community-based organization for South Asian women, Brown Women Health is committed to educating and empowering our community members to make informed choices about their health. This is the first in a series of articles we will be publishing on this topic, as we believe it is crucial for our community to understand the importance of cervical cancer screening and the specific challenges faced by South Asian women. If you or someone you know is in need of more information or support, please reach out to us at brownwomenhealth [at] gmail [dot] com. Together, we can work towards reducing cervical cancer disparities in our community.
This blog post is based on the research paper “Reasons behind Low Cervical Screening Uptake among South Asian Immigrant Women: A Qualitative Exploration”
Learn more about Pap Smears in our podcast episode with OBGYN, Dr. Vaidehi Mujumdar.
