Burden of Human Papillomavirus among Haitian Immigrants in Miami, Florida: Community-Based Participatory Research in Action

Background. Haitian immigrant women residing in Little Haiti, a large ethnic enclave in Miami-Dade County, experience the highest cervical cancer incidence rates in South Florida. While this disparity primarily reflects lack of access to screening with cervical cytology, the burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes virtually all cases of cervical cancer worldwide, varies by population and may contribute to excess rate of disease. Our study examined the prevalence of oncogenic and nononcogenic HPV types and risk factors for HPV infection in Little Haiti.Methods. As part of an ongoing community-based participatory research initiative, community health workers recruited study participants between 2007 and 2008, instructed women on self-collecting cervicovaginal specimens, and collected sociodemographic and healthcare access data.Results. Of the 242 women who contributed adequate specimens, the overall prevalence of HPV was 20.7%, with oncogenic HPV infections (13.2% of women) outnumbering nononcogenic infections (7.4%). Age-specific prevalence of oncogenic HPV was highest in women 18–30 years (38.9%) although the prevalence of oncogenic HPV does not appear to be elevated relative to the general U.S. population. The high prevalence of oncogenic types in women over 60 years may indicate a substantial number of persistent infections at high risk of progression to precancer.

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The Peru Cervical Cancer Prevention Study (PERCAPS): Community-Based Participatory Research in Manchay, Peru

International Journal of Gynecological Cancer ◽

10.1097/igc.0b013e318275b007 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 141-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Kimberly L. Levinson ◽

Carolina Abuelo ◽

Eunice Chyung ◽

Jorge Salmeron ◽

Suzanne E. Belinson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Community Health ◽

Community Health Workers ◽

Participatory Research ◽

Health Workers ◽

Community Based Participatory Research ◽

Cervical Cancer Prevention ◽

Community Based ◽

Research Techniques

ObjectiveCervical cancer is a preventable disease which causes significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries. Although technology for early detection continues to improve, prevention programs suffer from significant barriers. Community-based participatory research is an approach to research which focuses on collaboration with the community to surmount these barriers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of community-based participatory research techniques in a mother-child screen/treat and vaccinate program for cervical cancer prevention in Manchay, Peru.Materials and MethodsHuman papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling and cryotherapy were used for the screen/treat intervention, and the Gardasil vaccine was used for the vaccine intervention. Community health workers from Manchay participated in a 3-day educational course, designed by the research team. The community health workers then decided how to implement the interventions in their community. The success of the program was measured by (1) the ability of the community health workers to determine an implementation plan, (2) the successful use of research forms provided, (3) participation and retention rates, and (4) satisfaction of the participants.Results(1) The community health workers used a door-to-door approach through which participants were successfully registered and both interventions were successfully carried out; (2) registration forms, consent forms, and result forms were used correctly with minimal error; (3) screen/treat intervention: 97% of registered participants gave an HPV sample, 94% of HPV-positive women were treated, and 90% returned for 6-month follow-up; vaccine intervention: 95% of registered girls received the first vaccine, 97% of those received the second vaccine, and 93% the third; (4) 96% of participants in the screen/treat intervention reported high satisfaction.ConclusionsCommunity-based participatory research techniques successfully helped to implement a screen/treat and vaccinate cervical cancer prevention program in Manchay, Peru. These techniques may help overcome barriers to large-scale preventive health-care interventions.

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Developing a Smoking Cessation Intervention within a Community-Based Participatory Research Framework

The Journal of Smoking Cessation ◽

10.1017/jsc.2012.17 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 89-95 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Noella A. Dietz ◽

Monica Webb Hooper ◽

Margaret M. Byrne ◽

Antoine Messiah ◽

Elizabeth A. Baker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Participatory Research ◽

Support Groups ◽

Community Based Participatory Research ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

South Florida ◽

Smoking Cessation Intervention ◽

Community Based ◽

Cessation Intervention

Background: While smoking rates in the United States have decreased, some population subgroups have smoking rates that exceed national and state averages. These higher rates often are associated with higher incidence rates of tobacco-associated cancers. Over time, a decrease in smoking rates leads to lower cancer incidence.Methods: Using spatial modelling techniques, we identified an underserved geographic locale in South Florida with higher than expected incidence rates of tobacco-associated cancers. We then used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) design to conduct focus groups in 2011 to elicit information about the acceptability of a smoking cessation intervention delivered by trained former smokers from within peer networks.Results: A variety of smoking cessation strategies was presented and discussed in separate, gender-stratified focus groups comprised of former and current smokers (n = 39). Focus group findings consistently indicated that support groups were the preferred cessation mechanism in this community. Based on this finding, we changed our initially proposed cessation approach to one which employed support groups as a quit method.Conclusions: Currently, we are collecting pilot data to test this intervention and to reach smokers who might not otherwise be directly targeted with cessation messaging from larger tobacco control initiatives. If successful, this strategy can be adapted to effect other important changes in health behaviours in at-risk populations.

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Community-Based Participatory Research Increases Cervical Cancer Screening among Vietnamese-Americans

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved ◽

10.1353/hpu.2006.0078 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 31-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tung T. Nguyen ◽

Stephen J. McPhee ◽

Ngoc Bui-Tong ◽

Thien-Nhien Luong ◽

Tuyet Ha-Iaconis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Cancer Screening ◽

Cervical Cancer Screening ◽

Participatory Research ◽

Community Based Participatory Research ◽

Vietnamese Americans ◽

Community Based

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Promotoras Voice Their Challenges in Fulfilling Their Role as Community Health Workers

Health Promotion Practice ◽

10.1177/1524839920921189 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 152483992092118

Author(s):

Pamela Orpinas ◽

Rebecca A. Matthew ◽

Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez ◽

Alejandra Calva ◽

J. Maria Bermúdez

Keyword(s):

Community Health ◽

Community Health Workers ◽

Participatory Research ◽

English Language ◽

Health Workers ◽

Cultural Beliefs ◽

Community Based Participatory Research ◽

Well Being ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Community Based

Promotoras de salud (Spanish for female community health workers) are integral to efforts to enhance the health and well-being of Latinx individuals, families, and communities. The purpose of this study was to describe the challenges that promotoras face and the proposed solutions from the perspective of the promotoras themselves. Five promotoras who worked for a year as volunteers in a community-based participatory research study, Lazos Hispanos, participated in two group interviews. Eight challenges emerged—balancing their new work with their family commitments, handling their perceived imbalance of power with men, managing the emotional impact of hearing participants’ problems, facing and handling the barriers imposed by having limited English language skills, feeling discouraged by the perception of ethnocentric beliefs and discrimination from some providers, feeling disheartened by the cultural beliefs of some Latinx participants, handling the lack of transportation for themselves and for the participants, and managing the burden of data collection for the research aspect of the program. The explanation of these challenges and the practical solutions they proposed are embedded in their intersecting identities. The solutions are a valuable addition to the practice of health promotion and community-based participatory research, particularly within Latinx communities.

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