South African women's perspectives on self-sampling for cervical cancer screening: A mixed-methods study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Gynecology
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Cervical cancer screening self-sampling is a viable option for low-resource settings.
• Understanding women's perceptions is crucial for integrating self-sampling into national programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore women's attitudes towards self-collection of samples for cervical screening in a low-resource setting in South Africa.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods study involving a cross-sectional survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 822 women aged 30-65.
• Participants completed a questionnaire and FGDs after providing a self-collected vaginal sample and undergoing clinical examination.

Main Results:

• Over 90% of women reported positive perceptions, experiencing no embarrassment or discomfort with self-sampling.
• Despite positive attitudes, 64.7% felt more confident with clinician-collected samples due to perceived quality.
• Most women (93.9%) were willing to self-sample, but preferred doing so at a health facility rather than at home.

Conclusions:

• Women in this South African study population hold positive attitudes towards cervical cancer self-sampling.
• Key concerns include perceived sample quality and the financial implications of returning samples to the clinic.
• Pilot implementation studies are recommended before integrating self-sampling into broader screening programs.