Cervical Cancer Prevention Education for Asian Women

Running head: CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION EDUCATION
CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION EDUCATION FOR ASIAN WOMEN
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1CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION EDUCATION
Cervical cancer is cancer that occurs in the cervix- the lowermost part of the uterus
that connects with the vagina. The cells start to grow abnormally in this region due to
infection by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - sexually transmitted virus (Gana et al.,
2017). Among the cancer-related deaths in women all over the world, cervical cancer is the
second most common reason. In Asia, almost 5,00,000 new cases are annually diagnosed,
and the mortality rate is around 50% (Daniyal et al., 2015). There are many awareness
programs conducted by the government, but there is no visible reduction neither in the
number of women contracting the disease nor in the mortality rates.
Several factors cause cervical cancer. The girls who start sexual activity within a year
of their start of menstrual cycles are at high risk to develop cervical cancer. The second most
crucial factor is cigarette smoking, the interaction of the chemicals in the smoke with the
cervix cells cause precancerous changes, which can develop to cancer. Cigarette smokers are
at risk of two to five times to have cervical cancer than that of the non-smokers (Al-Darwish
et al., 2014). Oral contraceptives are another cause of cervical cancer if taken for more than
five years. HIV and HPV are epidemics that fuel one another in a deadly circle- HIV
contracted people have a higher risk of HPV infections and vice versa.
Comprehensive screening and subsequent treatment of precancerous lesions can
prevent cervical cancer. The vaccine for Human Papilloma Virus is available which is very
useful and safe. Cervical cancer can be avoided by educating women on different health
issues and disease prevention, but they do not come to the forefront. Women of Asia suffer
the most due to cervical cancer. Firstly, it is due to their lower uptake or participation in the
screening test of cervical cancer. Secondly, they do not have proper access to the screening
test. Thirdly, they do not have much knowledge about the causes, signs, prevention and
medication of the disease, which causes non-adherence to screening (Karadag et al., 2014).

2CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION EDUCATION
Lastly, they do not access the screening test due to shame or embarrassment and fear of the
society, as it is a sexually transmitted infection.
There are a few cultural and psychological beliefs regarding the screening of cervical
cancer. Firstly, is that they believe they are at a low risk to perceive the disease, which
results in not taking the screening test (Yilmazel & Duman, 2014). Secondly, there is a belief
that one goes to healthcare services for specific and visible symptoms. Lastly, cultural beliefs
regarding modesty are negatively linked with screening (Baskaran et al., 2014).
There are a few barriers to learning in Asian women regarding cervical cancer. The
women who have cervical cancer in Asia mostly belongs to poor socio-economic status, who
lacks knowledge about the disease and its prevention, so they do not participate in the
programs undertaken by the healthcare services for the awareness and screening of the
disease. The women do not participate in the educational programs for cervical cancer due to
embarrassment and fear of society (Julinawati et al., 2013).
There are many healthcare services and programs by the government regarding the
awareness of the disease, still many women contracts and die due to this disease. Thus, the
women should be made aware that there is no need for being embarrassed in contracting this
disease also not to fear the society regarding it (Johnson et al., 2014). The women of the
rural areas of different countries in Asia should be the target of the teaching plan. Before the
idea of teaching is implemented, there is a need to approach and interview women to know
their knowledge and awareness of the disease, with their consent for participation. Then the
collected data should be analysed so that the teaching plan can be made accordingly. An
educational booklet in both English and local languages of the regions (Gana et al., 2017)
where the programs will take place is developed. The booklet should contain the meaning of
cervical cancer, where it occurs, what are the types and how the disease is contracted