ASPO Abstracts
Bayo Lapawol: Haitian Women's Barriers to Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control
Category: Global Cancer Research
Conference Year: 2020
Abstract Body:
Purpose: This study aims to increase understanding of barriers to cervical cancer prevention
and control in Haitian women using photovoice, a Community-Based Participatory Research
methodology which engaged community members in all aspects of the research process
through storytelling and digital media to produce culturally informed results.
Methods: In collaboration with Zanmi Lasante/Partners in Health, women were recruited from
Artibonite, Haiti. The methodology followed Wang & Burris' nine-step recommendations for
photovoice. Consented participants were 1) trained to use a digital camera and prompted to
capture their screening barriers; 2) interviewed to unpack and analyze their images; and 3)
invited to participate in follow-up focus groups for refined discussion and data triangulation.
Interviews were conducted in Haitian Creole then tape-recorded and transcribed for content
analysis using Nvivo software.
Results: The sample included women(n=25) who were on average 42 years of age(SD=9.8,
range 26-57) and born and raised in Haiti. All participants received some schooling with the
highest level of education attainment varying from elementary(n=3), middle(n=6), and high
school(n=4), as well as college(n=12). Over three quarters of the sample were unmarried
(n=19). Approximately half of the sample were unemployed(n=13). None of the participants
reported smoking. The majority of the sample reported no screening history(n=20). Results
highlighted multiple barriers, including gendered family responsibilities, concerns about quality
of care, financial and time constraints, worries about discomfort and exam efficacy, and
emotional deterrents such as desperation.
Conclusions: Study results call for more extensive examination of the heterogeneity within the
racial category of Black to unearth transnational, multifaceted determinants of health including
sociocultural health behaviors and socio-environmental health access. Future interventions in
Haitian women's healthcare must include development of proactive policies, which deliberately
pressure the government and global community to prioritize health infrastructure while
simultaneously educating women about and dispelling fear of cervical cancer, thus empowering
Haitian women to live their healthiest lives
Keywords: Cervical cancer, prevention, control, women's health