Pap Utilization Survey in Nueva Vida, Nicaragua: Professional and Health Promotoras Partnership

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women in developing countries and accounted for 84% of the global incidence of cervical cancer in 2012. Nicaragua is one country illustrating this disparity, with an annual cervical cancer mortality six times the U.S. rate. This may be explained by lack and poor utilization of effective screening programs, especially the Papanicolaou, or Pap, smear. This study resulted from a partnership formed by faculty and students from two U.S. universities and a Nicaraguan nonprofit organization to conduct projects to benefit a community in Nicaragua. To promote a free Pap smear program provided by the local clinic, a community-wide survey regarding Pap smear utilization was conducted with local health promotoras (promoters). Of 1,117 women, 78.4% reported ever having a Pap smear, of whom 11.1% had not received their results, while results were reported as normal by 78.9%, and abnormal by 10%. The most common reasons for not having a Pap smear were refusal to test, fear, and pain. Proportions of women who ever had a Pap smear varied by etapa (stage/neighborhood, p \u3c .001). Findings are useful for policy development to improve the clinic’s screening services and encourage full utilization of Pap smears

Pap Smear Utilization Survey through Partnership of Academic, Professional, and Lay Health Workers

Graduate Applie

Pap Utilization Survey in Nueva Vida, Nicaragua: Professional and Health Promotoras Partnership

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women in developing countries and accounted for 84% of the global incidence of cervical cancer in 2012. Nicaragua is one country illustrating this disparity, with an annual cervical cancer mortality six times the U.S. rate. This may be explained by lack and poor utilization of effective screening programs, especially the Papanicolaou, or Pap, smear. This study resulted from a partnership formed by faculty and students from two U.S. universities and a Nicaraguan nonprofit organization to conduct projects to benefit a community in Nicaragua. To promote a free Pap smear program provided by the local clinic, a community-wide survey regarding Pap smear utilization was conducted with local health promotoras (promoters). Of 1,117 women, 78.4% reported ever having a Pap smear, of whom 11.1% had not received their results, while results were reported as normal by 78.9%, and abnormal by 10%. The most common reasons for not having a Pap smear were refusal to test, fear, and pain. Proportions of women who ever had a Pap smear varied by etapa (stage/neighborhood, p \u3c .001). Findings are useful for policy development to improve the clinic’s screening services and encourage full utilization of Pap smears

Risk Factors of Diarrheal Disease Among Children in the East African Countries of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania

Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality globally and in East Africa. Determining diarrheal disease risk factors and their strength of association to diarrheal disease in this region is necessary to identify and prioritize future research questions and interventions. Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program Data on child health in Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania from 2010 were used and simple and multiple logistic regressions were completed to determine factors that predicted diarrheal disease. Diarrhea that occurred in the two weeks prior to data collection was reported for 24.80% of Burundian, 13.1% of Rwandan, and 13.91% of Tanzanian children under five. In Burundian children, increased risk of diarrhea was associated with unimproved sanitation, young mothers, and the mother’s education level (secondary school or less). In Rwandan children, increased risk of diarrhea was associated with more than 30-minute travel time to water source, rainy season, young mothers, mother’s lack of education, and low wealth index. In Tanzanian children, increased risk of diarrhea was associated with rainy season and young mothers. The impact of improved water source and sanitation facility on diarrheal disease is not consistent across the literature or results of this study. Future research should include information on hygiene practices, type of water storage container and types of household water treatment. Further, pathogen specific research, such as molecular fingerprinting, would assist to link the source to the disease. These additions would provide a more comprehensive understanding of risk factors for and sources of diarrheal disease globally and in East Africa