Barriers, facilitators, needs, and preferences in seeking information regarding cervical cancer prevention programs among Turkish, Moroccan, and Syrian immigrant women: a scoping review.

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Immigrant women are often disproportionately affected by CC but show low participation in CC screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review on immigrant women's information needs regarding CC screening participation and HPV vaccination uptake. A total of 584 articles were found on Embase.com, PsychINFO, and CINAHL, of which 87 articles were included.

Results: This review revealed that immigrant women indicate a need for more personalized information regarding CC screening and HPV vaccination. We identified barriers to obtaining, processing, and understanding the information, which included overall practical, emotional, cultural and religious aspects (e.g., shame, taboo, lack of trust, fatalism, and cultural norms and values regarding sexual activity). Facilitators, such as translation services, receiving information from people with similar cultural and/or religious backgrounds, encouraging other women or family, and using home visits as an outreach strategy, were also identified.

Conclusions: Our review provides a comprehensive overview of the information needs and preferences of immigrant women, which could be used to tailor interventions, considering the contextual nuances in which these women are situated. The needs and preferences of immigrant women should be taken into account during the development of new information materials or other interventions. This would help immigrant women make informed decisions regarding participation in CC screening and HPV vaccination.