Feasibility and anticipated acceptability of community health worker-facilitated HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening around Lake County, Indiana.

Background/objective: In light of calls to engage community health workers (CHWs) in the delivery of cervical cancer screening innovations, this study explores CHW perspectives on i) barriers to cervical cancer screening in a predominantly Hispanic community in Lake County, Indiana, the county with the highest cervical mortality in the state; and ii) the acceptability and feasibility of CHW-facilitated human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling as a means of reducing screening disparities.

Methods: In 2021, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 CHWs employed by Lake County community-based organizations including clinics, schools, and faith-based organizations.

Results: Harnessing CHWs' voices as insiders with knowledge of their communities' health landscape, our analysis identified multilevel barriers to screening that spanned individual, interpersonal, and community levels of the socio-ecological model.

Leveraging COVID-era innovation for cervical cancer screening: Clinician awareness and attitudes toward self-sampling and rapid testing for HPV detection.

Cervical cancer screening rates are declining in the US, with persistent disparities among vulnerable populations. Strategies to better reach under-screened communities are needed. The COVID pandemic sparked major shifts in healthcare delivery, including the accelerated development and adoption of rapid diagnostic testing, broadened access to remote care, and growing consumer demand for self-testing, which could be leveraged for cervical cancer.

Clinician practices, knowledge, and attitudes regarding primary human papillomavirus testing for cervical cancer screening: A mixed-methods study in Indiana.

Primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, in which a high-risk HPV test is administered without cytology, was first included in 2018 US cervical cancer screening guidelines. Subsequent guidelines endorsed primary HPV testing as the preferred method for cervical cancer screening following evidence of its clinical and economic benefits, although many sources still indicate it as an option along with cytology and HPV/Pap co-testing. Primary HPV testing could be key to improving the declining cervical cancer screening rates in the US; however its adoption has been slow as clinicians are hesitant to make the change.

Community-based participatory design of a community health worker breast cancer training intervention for South Florida Latinx farmworkers.

Objective: Community health worker (CHW)-led education is an important strategy to increase awareness and access to breast cancer screening in medically-underserved communities. This study aimed to develop a context-specific, culturally-appropriate training intervention for South Florida CHWs to educate Latinx immigrant farmworkers on breast cancer and early detection.

Methods: A community-based participatory research (CBPR) study, conducted 2017-2019, informed the design of a training curriculum for CHWs and educational dissemination materials.