So Winnie K W, Law Bernard M H, Choi Kai Chow, Chan Dorothy N S, Chan Carmen W H
The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2019 Sep 11;7(1):12-17. doi: 10.4103/apjon.apjon_36_19. eCollection 2020 Jan-Mar.
Utilization of cancer screening is an effective means of cancer prevention. However, South Asian ethnic minorities in Western countries are reported to face barriers in cancer screening utilization, resulting in a low screening uptake by these individuals. The purpose of this mixed-method study is to assess the uptake rate of cancer screening among South Asian ethnic minorities in the Chinese Society of Hong Kong and to examine the factors affecting their participation in cancer screening.
This study utilized a sequential mixed-method design, involving two phases. Following the implementation of a self-report survey among South Asian participants via an author-developed questionnaire with 1547 participants in Phase 1, a focus group interview was conducted with 34 participants in Phase 2 to assess the barriers to screening utilization. Convenience sampling was adopted to recruit participants at South Asian community centers in Phase 1, whereas purposive sampling was used for recruiting participants in Phase 2.
The findings revealed a low (<40%) uptake rate of cancer screening among the participants. Health illiteracy, language barrier, limited access to health information and screening services, and cultural issues were the major barriers to their cancer screening utilization.
Our findings provided valuable information for both policymakers and health professionals to better understand the needs of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. As cancer death rates can be lowered by early detection and primary preventive measures, health professionals should focus on the development of culture-specific interventions. Similarly, training the community health workers can strengthen the primary care system in enhancing knowledge on cancer, its prevention, and access to cancer screening services among local ethnic minorities.
开展癌症筛查是预防癌症的有效手段。然而，据报道，西方国家的南亚少数族裔在利用癌症筛查方面面临障碍，导致这些人群的筛查接受率较低。这项混合方法研究的目的是评估香港华人社会中南亚少数族裔的癌症筛查接受率，并探讨影响他们参与癌症筛查的因素。
本研究采用序贯混合方法设计，包括两个阶段。在第一阶段，通过作者编制的问卷对1547名南亚参与者进行自我报告调查，随后在第二阶段对34名参与者进行焦点小组访谈，以评估筛查利用的障碍。第一阶段在南亚社区中心采用便利抽样招募参与者，而第二阶段则采用目的抽样招募参与者。
研究结果显示，参与者的癌症筛查接受率较低（<40%）。健康素养低、语言障碍、获取健康信息和筛查服务的机会有限以及文化问题是他们利用癌症筛查的主要障碍。
我们的研究结果为政策制定者和卫生专业人员提供了有价值的信息，以便更好地了解香港少数族裔的需求。由于早期发现和一级预防措施可以降低癌症死亡率，卫生专业人员应专注于制定针对特定文化的干预措施。同样，培训社区卫生工作者可以加强初级保健系统，提高当地少数族裔对癌症及其预防的认识以及获得癌症筛查服务的机会。
