Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
Data Search Directions | Summarize Your Findings |
Identify the population of interest and health condition or event to your practice.
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The population of interest for this discussion is women aged 21 to 65 years. This population is identified because of the increased risk for cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a condition that involves the growth of abnormal cells in the cervix, primarily due to high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). In the United States, it ranks among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in women, despite being highly preventable and treatable using various strategies (Spencer et al., 2023). In addition, the issue of disparities linked to social inequality, living standards, and race exist making it necessary to address this issue from different perspectives. |
Summarize your search process.
Specify what sources, organizations, and agencies for health statistics were searched to find relevant health statistics.
Be specific and thorough in your search.
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The search process for the health issue of cervical cancer began by identifying the key terms related to the problem. The key terms utilized included cervical cancer, screening, risk factors, guidelines, Pap smear, and disparities. During the search, I used Boolean operators to refine search queries and combine relevant terms.
The second approach involved searching for published sources from reliable databases and websites. I searched all my articles from PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for guidelines. I also utilized the local state government website to locate important statistics about cervical cancer in Michigan. |
Provide the health information obtained in the search.
Include new research.
Include any significant statistics and information on ● health ● risk factors ● trends ● local (state) ● US national epidemiology data on your topic.
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The literature search revealed articles and published information from websites regarding the issue of cervical cancer among women aged 21 to 65 years. Cervical cancer is recognized as the second most common malignant tumor in the female population worldwide (Zhang et al., 2020). The disease ranks second in incidence and mortality behind breast cancer in women. The disease is closely related to infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which when left untreated leads to the development of premalignant lesions that later become aggressive if left untreated (American Cancer Society, 2024).
Cervical cancer is associated with various risk factors including HPV infection, especially the strains of HPV 16 and HPV 18 (USPSTF, 2018). Early onset of sexual activity, having multiple sexual partners, smoking, and lack of regular cervical cancer screening are other risk factors. Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women globally with about 660,000 new cases reported each year (American Cancer Society, 2024). In the US, the projected new cases of the disease are about 13,820 and it is estimated that about 4,360 women will die from the disease. The disease is commonly observed in women aged 35 to 44 years with an an average of 50 years. The increasing campaign for screening and the utilization of effective diagnostic tools has decreased the incidence of the disease in the country. The local state search also revealed some significant information about cervical cancer in women. In Michigan, cervical cancer among women aged 21 to 65 years is a health problem of significance. For instance, data shows an incidence rate of 6.1% with 318 cases among women reported in 2020 (Department of Health and Human Services, 2024). The majority of the affected individuals are the Hispanics followed by the Black or African Americans. |
Interpret your findings and determine if there is any evidence of health disparities based on the population examined.
Address multicultural factors that influence the health issue.
Address clinical guidelines/ evidence-based management of the overall health topic with interventions and programs that aim to improve health disparities.
Provide a summation of your review with examples of how to bridge cultural differences and build effective relationships for improved health outcomes on the topic. |
Disparities in cervical cancer incidence, mortality, and screening rates exist in the United States, disproportionately affecting certain demographic groups. Overall, Black women have the highest rate of cervical cancer compared to women of other races. These individuals are also twice as likely to die from the disease compared to White women. The Hispanic group has a 51% high age-adjusted incidence of cervical cancer compared to their counterparts (Spencer et al., 2023). These racial and ethnic disparities are attributed to issues with screening, access to preventive services, and limited treatment approaches. Timely screening through Pap tests and HPV tests is a powerful tool that can help to reduce cervical cancer by 70 to 80% (Spencer et al., 2023). Apart from the issues with healthcare access, numerous studies have attributed cancer to racist policies that hinder minority groups from receiving essential care services.
The clinical guidelines for screening cervical cancer are provided by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The task force recommends the screening of cervical cancer using Pap test, hrHPV testing, or Co-testing using the two methods. Women aged 21 to 29 years should have a Pap test after every 3 years (USPSTF, 2018). Those aged 30 to 65 years should have a Pap test every 3 years and hrHPV testing every 5 years or co-testing. The guidelines do not recommend cervical cancer screening for women aged below 21 years, those who have had a total abdominal hysterectomy, and women aged 65 years and above who have had adequate prior screening. Multicultural factors play a significant role in influencing cervical cancer incidence, screening rates, treatment outcomes, and survivorship. Stigma and traditions surrounding cancer, especially among the African population hinder effective screening and treatment. Access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care is another issue that affects effective communication and health-seeking behaviors among women. Issues with health insurance and access to screening services are observed to affect these communities. Effective interventions should include health education and the use of health promotion materials that consider cultural and religious views (Gutusa & Roets, 2023). In summary, cervical cancer is a major threat to women and contributes to high rates of illness and death in resource-constrained areas. The treatment guidelines recommend screening for women aged 21 to 65 years using Pap test and hrHPV, or co-testing (USPSTF, 2018). Cultural factors like stigma, inequalities in healthcare access, and the lack of linguistically appropriate care are observed to hinder effective cervical cancer treatment. To address this challenge, healthcare professionals should provide health education, utilize health promotion outreach services, and provide linguistically appropriate materials (Gutusa & Roets, 2023). An example of an approach that I can use to bridge the gap of cervical cancer is cultural competence training. Providers can undergo training to enhance their understanding of cultural beliefs, practices, and communication approaches that can improve cervical cancer screening and treatment. |
NURS 6512N Week 3 – Rachel Adler Conversation Concept Lab Shadow Health
References
American Cancer Society. (2024). Key statistics for cervical cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/about/key-statistics.html#:~:text=for%20cervical%20cancer-,How%20common%20is%20cervical%20cancer%3F,will%20die%20from%20cervical%20cancer.
Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). Michigan cancer dashboard: Cervical cancer in Michigan.
Gutusa, F., & Roets, L. (2023). Early cervical cancer screening: The influence of culture and religion. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 15(1), e1–e6.
https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v15i1.3776
Spencer, J. C., Kim, J. J., Tiro, J. A., Feldman, S. J., Kobrin, S. C., Skinner, C. S., … & Haas, J. S. (2023). Racial and ethnic disparities in cervical cancer screening from three US healthcare settings. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 65(4), 667-677.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2023.04.016
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Cervical cancer: Screening. Retrieved from https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/cervical-cancer-screening
Zhang, S., Xu, H., Zhang, L., & Qiao, Y. (2020). Cervical cancer: Epidemiology, risk factors and screening. Chinese Journal of Cancer Research = Chung-kuo yen cheng yen chiu, 32(6), 720–728. https://doi.org/10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2020.06.05
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