Development and evaluation of multimedia interventions to promote breast and cervical health among South Asian women in Hong Kong: A project protocol

Abstract

Recent studies conducted in the local community indicate that the uptake rates of breast and cervical cancer screening among South Asian ethnic minorities are lower than those of the general population. The development of interventions to promote these minorities’ awareness of breast and cervical health and the importance of cancer screening is therefore required. This study protocol aims to develop culturally sensitive multimedia interventions to promote awareness of breast and cervical cancer prevention among South Asian women in Hong Kong, and to evaluate the outcomes of such interventions using a Reach-Effectiveness-Adoption-Implementation-Maintenance framework. By using a multimedia approach and developing socio-culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate educational materials, information related to cancer and accessible preventive measures for breast and cervical cancer is expected to be disseminated more effectively among South Asian women and ultimately increase their awareness of engaging in healthy lifestyles and taking part in cancer screening tests. Successful engagement of community partners will enhance the future sustainability of the project.

A Mixed-Method Study Examining Cancer Screening Uptake among South Asian Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong

“…By doing this, health information, particularly the preventive measures of cancer, can be effectively disseminated among local South Asians. [1819] In the meantime, previous studies suggested that cultural sensitivity played an important role in the increased effectiveness of educational interventions dedicated for South Asians. [20] In view of this, learning materials used for such interventions should be linguistically appropriate, with simple contents that are relevant to South Asian culture.…”

Effects of a Community Health Worker-Led Multimedia Intervention on the Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening among South Asian Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…These encouraging findings are likely attributed to the integration of multimedia and CHW approaches, minimizing barriers, and enhancing the self-efficacy of South Asian women to undergo cancer screening. The use of the multimedia approach would enable a more effective education of individuals with lower literacy levels, such as the South Asian ethnic minorities, in regards to what cervical cancer and its preventive measures are [21]. Moreover, the trained CHWs served as important resource persons impacting the health knowledge of their community peers.…”

A community health worker-led multimedia intervention to increase cervical cancer screening uptake among South Asian women: study protocol for a cluster randomized wait-list controlled trial

“…The combined use of multimedia CHWs in the intervention will potentially provide significant practical implications in addressing related barriers and increasing the uptake of cervical cancer screening among South Asian women. With the use of a multimedia approach in intervention delivery, information related to cervical cancer and cancer screening will be disseminated more effectively to South Asian women who generally have lower educational levels [13]. The navigation assistance provided by CHWs will further help these women overcome difficulties in accessing cervical cancer screening services.…”

“…These include: being theory based; being culturally tailored; being composed of multiple intervention strategies; and being delivered in a community setting with assistance in scheduling/attendance in screenings [10–12]. A recent theory-based and culturally tailored multimedia educational intervention to promote cervical cancer screening among South Asians using a one-group pretest and posttest design has shown that 95.5% of 1061 South Asians participants agree that the intervention increases their knowledge on cervical cancer, 95.7% report understanding of the importance of screening, and 93.8% know where to go for screening [13]. Despite the positive effects of the multimedia intervention, focus group interviews have revealed that some participants experience difficulties in scheduling and attending health services for screening because of language and cultural barriers.…”

“…To address the limitations of previous multimedia educational interventions [13] and CHW-led interventions, we propose to develop an educational intervention by adopting an innovative approach that combines the use of multimedia and CHWs in the intervention. We will then evaluate its effects in a randomized wait-list controlled trial.…”