A Cervical Cancer Screening Toolkit for Somali Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination are crucial for women's health.
• Addressing health disparities in underserved communities, such as Somali women in the US, is a public health priority.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel educational toolkit in increasing Pap test completion and HPV vaccination rates among Somali women in the United States.
• To assess the potential of a culturally tailored intervention to improve cervical cancer prevention uptake.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted from June 2021 to February 2022.
• Participants included Somali women aged 21-70, randomized to receive an educational toolkit (infographic, video, health seminar) or standard care.
• Outcomes measured included Pap test completion and HPV vaccination, tracked via health passports.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed significantly higher Pap test completion rates (53.7% vs. 3.7%, p < 0.0001).
• While not statistically significant, the intervention group had higher HPV vaccination rates (10.7% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.6110).
• The toolkit demonstrated a positive impact on Pap test completion and a trend towards increased HPV vaccination.

Conclusions:

• The novel cervical cancer screening toolkit effectively increased Pap test completion rates in the studied population.
• The toolkit shows promise as a reproducible model for improving cervical cancer prevention uptake in minority communities.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to confirm HPV vaccination efficacy.