Increasing Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings in Somali Women through Community Education

Abstract

Despite best practice guidelines, Somali refugee women access breast and cervical cancer screenings at a significantly lower rate than other women in the United States. This doctoral nursing project evaluated the effectiveness of an evidence-based community education program to increase breast and cervical cancer screenings among Somali refugee women. This pilot quasi experimental project incorporated culturally tailored education, community health workers, and facilitated screening access in a community setting with the goal of increasing adherence to current cancer screening guidelines in collaboration with a free community health clinic. Twenty Somali women aged 21-74 attended three educational sessions, and 11 attendees consented to provide demographic data, history of Pap testing and/or mammography screening, and intention to receive screening if under or never screened. Primary outcomes included receipt of mammography or Papanicolau testing, and a secondary outcome included intention to receive screening. There was no significant difference pre- and post-intervention for either screening uptake or intention to receive screening. Additionally, the student investigator trained three Somali community health workers to facilitate the education program and collected their written feedback following project completion. This project sought to improve breast and cervical cancer screening adherence and reduce cancer morbidity and mortality in a Somali refugee population in Kansas City, Missouri.