Alexandra H. Vinson

Acceptability of Home‐Based Urine Self‐Collection for Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women Receiving Care at the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Michigan

ABSTRACTBackgroundMichigan's Middle Eastern‐North African (MENA) community is an essential and growing part of the state's population. However, MENA individuals are underrepresented in the research literature due to a lack of recognized demographic categorization. Prior work shows that MENA women face barriers to traditional clinician‐directed cervical cancer screening. This study aims to capture the perspectives of MENA women about home‐based urine cervical cancer screening using HPV kits and to assess whether such methods could positively impact future screening intent.MethodsThrough collaboration with a community partner in southeast Michigan, we recruited MENA women ages 30–65, with 44 completing the study. Participants used urine HPV self‐sampling kits at home and then shared their perspectives through a phone interview. We used an inductive, thematic approach to analyze the interviews, which captured experiences with home‐based self‐sampling, screening preferences, and impact on future screening intent.ResultsParticipants found that urine home‐based self‐sampling was acceptable as a convenient and comfortable way to screen for cervical cancer. Most (80%) preferred self‐sampling over traditional clinician‐directed screening and preferred collecting urine samples at home (73%) rather than in the clinic. Overall, 80% reported that access to urine self‐sampling would positively impact their future screening intent.ConclusionsMENA participants in this study positively received home‐based cervical cancer screening using urine HPV self‐sampling kits. These findings support the clinical implementation of self‐sampling and home‐based cervical cancer screening to increase participation, particularly among those in under‐screened communities.

Native American Women's Willingness to Screen for Both Cervical and Colorectal Cancer at Home

ABSTRACT Introduction Fewer than 50% of Native American (NA) women screen for both cervical and colorectal (CRC) cancer. We aim to explore the perspectives of NAs around cervical and colorectal cancer home‐based self‐screening options. Methods The NA community provided review and approval for this cross‐sectional survey on cancers in general, and specifically on cervical and colorectal cancer screening. We invited screen‐eligible Native American women, aged 45–65 years, who attended the Lakota Nation Invitational tournament in December 2023, to complete the survey. Results One hundred women, with a mean age of 54.1 (SD 6.3), completed the survey. Respondents reported visiting their doctor once a year, rarely (10%), with 66% experiencing a poor experience accessing healthcare—only 16% self‐reported screening for both cervical and colorectal cancers within the last 5 years. If the participant could screen for both cervical and CRC cancer at home, 83.0% said they would be willing to do both, compared to 9% who would do neither at home. The doctor's recommendation for how to screen for cervical and CRC cancer was the most important factor in screening decision‐making. The other two very important reasons were how easy or convenient the screening is, how comfortable I am with the screening process/what happens to me during the test. Conclusions With the recommendation of their doctors, and convenience and comfort being important, Native American women are enthusiastic to participate in home‐based cervical and colorectal cancer screening. While the home‐based CRC screening has been available for many years, with minimal effect on screening uptake, the advent of self‐sampling for primary HPV testing for cervical cancer appears to create interest for both tests at home. These options may increase both cancer screening rates and access to care in this underserved population.