An Intervention Model for a Risky Health Behavior in Minorities Facing Cultural and Global Health Challenges: The Case of Twalèt Déba (Feminine Hygiene)

Abstract

This article focuses on the linkage between a worldwide culturally practiced feminine hygiene, considered by many as a health risk behavior, by four ethnic groups: Haitian, Mexican, Latina and Turkish women termed twalèt déba (vaginal cleanliness), and the human papilloma virus (HPV) leading to cervical cancer. A necessary debate warrants further analysis because the factors leading to HPV were not fully explored by previous research endeavors; and the connection between the practice and cervical cancer is not clearly exposed. The cultural and health behavior determinants are not easily framed for a deep understanding of the epidemiological and on ecological tentacles of this feminine practice. There are also elements of socio-economic disparities seen as barriers to HPV testing. A human papilloma virus disparity intervention model is proposed (HPVDIM) as the first assessment tool created prior to the current existing interventions of HPV testing and HPV vaccine. The contribution can be positively appreciated considering the void existing in the literature.