Reducing the Incidence of Cervical Cancer in Somali Immigrant Women through Culturally Competent Education and Health Screenings

Abstract Background: The rate of participation in cervical cancer screenings in Somali women is disproportionately lower than for other ethnicities, leaving this population at risk for an increased incidence of cervical cancer. Previous literature has addressed the barriers to cervical cancer screenings however; research on the promotion of culturally based screenings and how such impacts health care outcomes in Somali women does not exist. Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of culturally based education and screenings on the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer in Somali immigrant women and to determine the contribution of various barriers to the screening process. Methods: An integrative literature review was used. The Tannahill Intervention-Based Model was used to identify factors that promote health and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in Somali immigrant women. The search engines CINHAL and PubMed were used to find relevant articles published within the last 10 years. Eleven articles were used for the final literature review. Results: Language proficiency, educational level, provider prejudice, cultural practices, beliefs and knowledge of health topics were found to be the most supported contributing factors preventing Somali women from participating in cervical cancer screenings. Conclusions: This review reveals many factors that proved to be barriers preventing Somali women from participating in cervical cancer screenings, but nurses and healthcare providers do not address these factors in order to promote health in this population. Present cervical cancer screening programs for Somali women are not currently designed to cater to their specific concerns. Therefore creating a need to provide culturally based education and screenings that would address the concerns of this population. There is a need to create culturally based education and screenings with these factors in mind to decrease the incidence of cervical cancer rate in Somali women. Key Words: Cervical cancer screening and prevention, immigrants, Somali wome