On 11th September we attended the Women’s Health Conference at the Wandsworth Town Hall, hosted by the Mayor of Wandsworth, Councillor Sana Jafri, in collaboration with Women of Wandsworth.
One of the topics discussed was cervical screening; Wandsworth has some of the lowest cervical screening uptake rates in England, particularly in South Asian communities. Wandsworth Care Alliance, in collaboration with research organisation IVAR, have been doing some outreach to organisations that engage with women from a South Asian background. We want to understand potential barriers those women face in relation to uptake of screening, and some of the opportunities we can use for driving uptake.
Read more about the background of the project here.
Some of the findings from this event are written below:
Advertising cervical screening
- We should broaden our thinking and target specific groups of people. For example, where do mums go? Stay and play sessions, play groups, etc. – let’s put up posters or leaflets there.
- Can we do some outreach in smaller community groups or organisations?
- Can we use social media or WhatsApp groups?
Language
- Let’s think about the type of language and specific words we’re using. “Cancer” and “screening” may already be scary words for some people; therefore, we need to have easily accessible information that explains everything clearly and concisely so people can be properly informed rather than scared.
- Professionals should also be mindful of potentially complex terminology they are using with individuals who may not speak English fluently. There are sometimes no words for certain medical procedures, conditions or instruments in certain languages. For example, there is no word for “hysterectomy” in Urdu.
- We should make specific wording choices and use diagrams and pictures in order to aid us in explaining things clearly.
Taboo topic
- Cervical screening is often considered an embarrassing topic to talk about. It is important to have ‘ladies only’ sessions and follow up in the community, in comfortable/safe environments. You must meet people in the places they are already going.
- It’s good to be well informed and know the science behind why screening is important (e.g. early diagnosis, correct information). This makes it less taboo as we know that it’s an extremely common practice that everyone goes through.
- We should be having early conversations to show it’s a normal thing to talk about. This should be in schools or before people are sexually active or having children.
Resources: - Cancer Research UK – Cervical Cancer Screening
If you’d like to discuss or add to this article, please contact communications@wandcareall.org.uk