South Asian Women Unaware of Cervical Cancer Risk Factors

In the second part of our series on cervical cancer and South Asian immigrant women, we delve deeper into the study “Reasons behind Low Cervical Screening Uptake among South Asian Immigrant Women: A Qualitative Exploration.”

One of the key findings of the study is that the understanding of cervical cancer risk factors among the participants is lacking or incorrect. Many of the women interviewed believed that cervical cancer is hereditary and passed down from parents. One participant even said,

“Women do not have awareness that it can be caused by sexual partners, their general perception is that it is a genetic disease, hereditary, it is transmitted from mother or father’s side of the family” (Participant 2).

Other misconceptions about risk factors included dietary and nutritional deficiencies, lack of proper and adequate personal hygiene, trauma and mishandling during childbirth, alcohol abuse, smoking, and infections of female reproductive organs.

Some participants associated the risk of cervical cancer with being “sexually active” (Participant 9), and believed that “multiple sexual partners” (Participant 16) was a major contributing risk factor.

One of the most concerning findings of the study is that all but one of the participants were unaware of the link between human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer. When specifically asked about HPV vaccine, only one participant had been vaccinated and had received it in their native country. The majority of participants had no information and were unaware that a vaccine could prevent cancer.

One participant said, “I did not know that cervical cancer can be prevented by vaccination too” (Participant 15).

It’s clear from this study that there is a significant lack of knowledge about cervical cancer and its risk factors among South Asian immigrant women. This highlights the importance of culturally informed interventions that involve relevant information provision and behavioral change strategies to clarify misconceptions. It’s crucial that we continue to educate and raise awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention opportunities within the South Asian community.