Abstract B25: Sometimes it's spiritual: A mixed-methods study of cervical cancer stigma among women in Ghana, West Africa

Abstract

Abstract Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in Ghana, West Africa. Previous studies have found that many Ghanaian women hold stigmatizing beliefs about cervical cancer, which may lead them to minimize their perceived susceptibility to the disease and reduce their perceived need for preventive cervical cancer screenings. The purpose of this study was to assess cervical cancer stigma among Ghanaian women and determine if there is a difference in the level of cervical cancer stigma among nurses and non-healthcare providers. The PEN-3 model provided the framework for this study. A convergent parallel mixed methods study design was used to conduct this study; therefore the study was divided into two strands, the quantitative strand and the qualitative strand. For the quantitative strand, 298 women who were recruited from public venues in Accra, completed a questionnaire containing items from the global cancer stigma index scale. For the qualitative strand, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 nurses who worked in a large public hospital in Accra and 21 nurses who worked in a small private hospital in Battor. A semi-structured interview guide was used to assess cervical cancer stigma among the nurses. Univariate and bivariate analyses were preformed to explore the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed using open coding and focused coding. The results of the quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicated that stigmatizing beliefs about cervical cancer were reported by nurses and women in the general population who were not healthcare providers. However, stigmatizing beliefs such as Women with cervical cancer are responsible for causing their own cancer, Women with cervical cancer are sexually easy, and Only promiscuous women need to have a regular cervical cancer screening were reported more frequently by women who were not healthcare providers. The results of this study can be used to inform the development of culturally-relevant cervical cancer stigma reduction interventions. Reducing cervical cancer stigma may lead to an increase in the number of Ghanaian women who seek regular, preventive cervical cancer screenings. Citation Format: Michelle Sharonda Williams, Ernest Kenu. Sometimes it's spiritual: A mixed-methods study of cervical cancer stigma among women in Ghana, West Africa [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR International Conference: New Frontiers in Cancer Research; 2017 Jan 18-22; Cape Town, South Africa. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(22 Suppl):Abstract nr B25.