ArticleBMC public health2023
"Easy women get it": pre-existing stigma associated with HPV and cervical cancer in a low-resource setting prior to implementation of an HPV screen-and-treat program.
Article in BMC public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Barriers and facilitators to cervical cancer screening in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Sticky black stain that steals everything from you: the lived experiences of women living with human papillomavirus in Tehran, Iran.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators of adherence to cervical cancer screening follow-up among women living with HIV in South Ethiopia: a qualitative study.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- A qualitative study on the experiences of stigmatisation and spiritual coping among women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Turkey.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Applicability of the levels of the socio-ecological model in the context of cervical cancer prevention: a scoping review.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2026Article
- The mediating role of human papillomavirus concern in the relationship between human papillomavirus knowledge and preventive behaviors against sexually transmitted diseases among Turkish women with higher education.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2026Article
- The effect of health awareness promotion with stress management-based consultation on anxiety and reproductive and sexual self-care in women with human papillomavirus: A randomized controlled clinical trial.Journal of education and health promotion · 2026Article
- Innovative Treatment for Cervical Precancer: A Qualitative Evaluation using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability.Global implementation research and applications · 2026Article
- Understanding barriers and facilitators to cervical cancer prevention among young Korean Women: A focus group interview study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Global burden and projections of cervical cancer attributable to unsafe sex and smoking, 1990-2034.PloS one · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of a couple-based dyadic coping intervention on psychological distress and relationship functioning in HPV patients: a randomized controlled trial in China.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Beyond infection status: a cross-sectional study of socioeconomic disparities, infection dynamics, and psychosocial burden among women with HPV in Luzhou, China.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Trying to Heal Without "Bringing Problems": Navigating Cervical Precancer Stigma in a Phase I Clinical Trial in Western Kenya.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Validation of the Chinese Version of the HPV Stigma Scale: A Multidimensional Analysis in Women With HPV.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Decomposing the global burden of cancers: quantifying the contributions of disease severity changes across regions and time (1990-2021).Journal of global health · 2025Article
- Applying the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model to a video-assisted HPV intervention to promote self-screening uptake: a qualitative study in Western Kenya.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Article
- Supporting women undergoing radiotherapy for cervical cancer: A pilot intervention.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2025Article
- Examining the impact of sex-biased information on health behaviors: a study of HPV vaccination among male college students based on the extended theory of planned behavior.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCervical cancer is preventable with vaccination and early detection and treatment programs. However, for these programs to work as intended, stigma related to HPV and cervical cancer must be understood and addressed. We explored pre-existing stigma associated with HPV and cervical cancer in the public healthcare system and community of a low-resource setting prior to implementation of an HPV screen-and-treat program.
methodsThis study conducted thematic analysis of data collected during implementation of a novel HPV screen-and-treat system for cervical cancer early detection and treatment in Iquitos, Peru. We included 35 semi-structured interviews (19 health professionals, 16 women with cervical precancer or cancer), eight focus groups (70 community women), one workshop (14 health professionals), 210 counseling observations (with 20 nurse-midwives), and a document review. We used the Socio-Ecological Model to organize the analysis.
resultsWe identified three main themes: 1. the implication that women are to blame for their HPV infection through characterizations of being easy or promiscuous, 2. the implication that men are to blame for women's HPV infections through being considered careless or unfaithful, 3. HPV is shameful, embarrassing, and something that should be hidden from others. Consequently, in some cases, women refrained from getting screened for HPV. These themes were seen at the individual level among women, relationship level among women, men, and family members, community level among healthcare staff, and societal level within components of cervical cancer guidelines and male chauvinism.
conclusionsCervical cancer early detection and treatment programs in limited resource settings must address stigma entrenched throughout the entire healthcare system and community in order to sustainably and successfully implement and scale-up new programs. Interventions to tackle this stigma can incorporate messages about HPV infections and latency to lessen the focus on the influence of sexual behavior on HPV acquisition, and instead, promote screening and treatment as paramount preventative measures.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.