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Cultural Beliefs and Understandings of Cervical Cancer Among Mexican Immigrant Women in Southeast Georgia

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Abstract

Rural Mexican immigrant women in the U.S. are infrequently screened and experience health disparities from cervical cancer. We explored cancer-related cultural beliefs in this population. We administered a cross-sectional survey to 39 Mexican immigrant women due for screening. We conducted univariate and bivariate analyses of participants’ characteristics, Pap test history, cancer-related knowledge and beliefs, and cultural consensus analysis about causes of cervical cancer and barriers to screening. For all the cultural consensus tasks, there was consensus (Eigenratios >3:1) among survey participants. Comparing the rankings of risk factor clusters, clusters related to sexual behaviors were ranked more severely than clusters related to genetic or other behavioral factors. There was agreement on ideas of cervical cancer causation and barriers to screening among these women. Hence, improved methods of disseminating important health information and greater access to care are needed, particularly in relationship to stigma about sex and birth control practices.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Cancer Institute, Office of the Director, Grant Number R21 CA 163159. Content presented is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of National Cancer Institute. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Ms. Andrea Hinojosa of Southeast Georgia Communities Project, the Vidalia onion farms, Claxton Poultry, and the promotoras for helping to facilitate contact with survey participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8015, Hendricks Hall, Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA

    John S. Luque, Yelena N. Tarasenko, Moya L. Alfonso, Lisa C. Watson & Claudia Reyes-Garcia

  2. School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Jonathan N. Maupin

  3. GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA

    Daron G. Ferris

Authors
  1. John S. Luque
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  2. Yelena N. Tarasenko
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  3. Jonathan N. Maupin
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  4. Moya L. Alfonso
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  5. Lisa C. Watson
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  6. Claudia Reyes-Garcia
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  7. Daron G. Ferris
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Correspondence to John S. Luque.

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Luque, J.S., Tarasenko, Y.N., Maupin, J.N. et al. Cultural Beliefs and Understandings of Cervical Cancer Among Mexican Immigrant Women in Southeast Georgia. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 713–721 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0117-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0117-5

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