Cervical screening behaviours and knowledge of cervical cancer

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Attitudes, understanding and compliance with cervical cancer screening in Eastern European migrants to the UK

• IRAS ID

  147891

• Contact name

  Hersha Patel

• Contact email

  hp250@le.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 4 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  The incidence of cervical cancer in the UK is rising in the under 35-year old age group. The reasons for this are multiple and complex, however, it is believed that the immigration of women from Eastern Europe (EE) is a contributing factor. The lack of availability of validated screening programmes in their country of origin combined with poor compliance with the NHS cervical screening programme (NHSCSP), are thought to be responsible. A review of local data has shown that 90% of EE women who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer have not attended screening, compared to only 46.7% of UK women. Patient and public involvement (PPI) work has shown that many migrant women from EE are not accustomed to having regular cervical smears in their home country and this results in poor knowledge of the rationale for cervical cancer screening.
  Our study will explore the screening behaviours of the female migrant Eastern European population and discover the rationale governing their practices. The native Caucasian UK population will be the comparison group, to account for health behaviours that are independent of country of origin/culture. Data collection will be through a mixed methods approach of questionnaire surveys and interviews. The aim is to use the results of this study to produce advisory documents for primary care and NHSCSP to improve the uptake of screening services. There will be strong PPI throughout the study, which will aid study design, recruitment and dissemination of the results to the public.

• REC name

  London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/LO/0249

• Date of REC Opinion

  2 Feb 2015

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion