Assessing impact of a community-based screening campaign to address social determinants of cervical cancer

Screening represents a cornerstone of cervical cancer control strategy. However, disparities in social determinants of health have perpetuated gaps in screening among racial and ethnic minorities. Social determinants of health including cultural stigma and lack of insurance have contributed to decreased screening among Hispanic women. To increase cancer screening in this population, community-academic partnerships and culturally tailored media have emerged as promising strategies.

This study assessed the impact of a culturally tailored cervical cancer screening campaign implemented through academic-community-government partnerships. Intercept surveys, conducted from 2015 to 2018 in eastern neighborhoods of Los Angeles, assessed campaign recall, interpretation, and screening intention among Hispanic women aged 21-65 years after exposure to the campaign. Screening intention was evaluated using χ2 and logistic regression by participant characteristics, with thematic analysis for campaign interpretation.

Of 673 participants, 26.1% were uninsured, and 85.9% primarily spoke Spanish at home. Campaign recall was 25.1%, with 64.5% interpreting the campaign's message as cervical cancer screening or health checkups. The campaign's most liked aspect was emphasis on family (cited by 37.1% of participants). Postcampaign, 89.5% of participants overall were likely or extremely likely to schedule a Pap test, including 83.5% of women who had not had a Pap test in the past 3 years.

Our findings underscore several important strategies to reduce cervical cancer disparities: (1) associating positive cultural values with screening to decrease stigma, (2) combining culturally tailored outreach with interventions that target other known screening barriers, (3) facilitating long-term community relationships, and (4) leveraging academic-community-government partnerships.