Department of Health Studies, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2023 Jan 25;15(1):e1-e6. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v15i1.3776.
Screening for cervical cancer at an early stage is essential for providing women with a better chance of receiving effective treatment for both precancers and cancer. Delaying screening until cancer has advanced can be detrimental, resulting in late presentation of cervical cancer and, as a result, cancer metastasis.
The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which culture and religion influence early cervical cancer screening in women.
The research was conducted in one of the rural districts in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe.
A qualitative exploratory and contextual design was utilised, and data were gathered by means of semistructured interviews. At 17 semistructured interviews, data saturation was reached and further data collection terminated. Data were thematically analysed.
Five themes that described participants' perceptions on culture and religion as barriers to early cervical cancer screening emerged from the data. These included a lack of knowledge, stigmatisation, cultural beliefs and values, religion and a lack of resources. These all negatively affected participants' motivation to seek early screening services.
According to the study findings, culture and religion constitute impediments to early cervical cancer screening for rural women. Interventions that encourage screening, such as targeted health education and health promotion materials, must consider cultural and religious views if behaviour change in diverse groups is to be accomplished.Contribution: The study has the potential to inform Zimbabwean health policy and contribute to prospective interventions or health education that encourage women to attend early cancer screening.
早期筛查宫颈癌对于为女性提供接受癌前病变和癌症有效治疗的机会至关重要。如果延迟筛查直到癌症进展，可能会产生不利影响，导致宫颈癌晚期出现，并因此导致癌症转移。
本研究旨在评估文化和宗教在多大程度上影响女性早期宫颈癌筛查。
研究在津巴布韦马尼卡兰省的一个农村地区进行。
采用定性探索性和情境设计，通过半结构化访谈收集数据。在 17 次半结构化访谈中，达到了数据饱和，停止了进一步的数据收集。对数据进行了主题分析。
从数据中出现了五个主题，描述了参与者对文化和宗教作为早期宫颈癌筛查障碍的看法。这些主题包括缺乏知识、污名化、文化信仰和价值观、宗教以及资源匮乏。这些都对参与者寻求早期筛查服务的动机产生了负面影响。
根据研究结果，文化和宗教是农村妇女早期宫颈癌筛查的障碍。如果要在不同群体中实现行为改变，必须考虑文化和宗教观点，鼓励筛查的干预措施，如有针对性的健康教育和健康促进材料。
本研究有可能为津巴布韦的卫生政策提供信息，并为鼓励女性参加早期癌症筛查的未来干预措施或健康教育做出贡献。
