Rashidul Alam Mahumud

Wealth-related inequalities of women’s knowledge of cervical cancer screening and service utilisation in 18 resource-constrained countries: evidence from a pooled decomposition analysis

Abstract Introduction Resource-constrained countries (RCCs) have the highest burden of cervical cancer (CC) in the world. Nonetheless, although CC can be prevented through screening for precancerous lesions, only a small proportion of women utilise screening services in RCCs. The objective of this study was to examine the magnitude of inequalities of women’s knowledge and utilisation of cervical cancer screening (CCS) services in RCCs. Methods A total of 1,802,413 sample observations from 18 RCC’s latest national-level Demographic and Health Surveys (2008 to 2017–18) were analysed to assess wealth-related inequalities in terms of women’s knowledge and utilisation of CCS services. Regression-based decomposition analyses were applied in order to compute the contribution to the inequality disparities of the explanatory variables for women’s knowledge and utilisation of CCS services. Results Overall, approximately 37% of women had knowledge regarding CCS services, of which, 25% belonged to the poorest quintile and approximately 49% from the richest. Twenty-nine percent of women utilised CCS services, ranging from 11% in Tajikistan, 15% in Cote d’Ivoire, 17% in Tanzania, 19% in Zimbabwe and 20% in Kenya to 96% in Colombia. Decomposition analyses determined that factors that reduced inequalities in women’s knowledge of CCS services were male-headed households (− 2.24%; 95% CI: − 3.10%, − 1.59%; P < 0.01), currently experiencing amenorrhea (− 1.37%; 95% CI: − 2.37%, − 1.05%; P < 0.05), having no problems accessing medical assistance (− 10.00%; 95% CI: − 12.65%, − 4.89%; P < 0.05), being insured (− 6.94%; 95% CI: − 9.58%, − 4.29%; P < 0.01) and having an urban place of residence (− 9.76%; 95% CI: − 12.59%, − 5.69%; P < 0.01). Similarly, factors that diminished inequality in the utilisation of CCS services were being married (− 8.23%;95% CI: − 12.46%, − 5.80%; P < 0.01), being unemployed (− 14.16%; 95% CI: − 19.23%, − 8.47%; P < 0.01) and living in urban communities (− 9.76%; 95% CI: − 15.62%, − 5.80%; P < 0.01). Conclusions Women’s knowledge and utilisation of CCS services in RCCs are unequally distributed. Significant inequalities were identified among socioeconomically deprived women in the majority of countries. There is an urgent need for culturally appropriate community-based awareness and access programs to improve the uptake of CCS services in RCCs.

Cost-effectiveness of the introduction of two-dose bi-valent (Cervarix) and quadrivalent (Gardasil) HPV vaccination for adolescent girls in Bangladesh

Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in women caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) that leads to a substantial disease burden for health systems. Prevention through vaccination can significantly reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential health and economic impacts of introducing two-dose bivalent (Cervarix) and quadrivalent (Gardasil) HPV vaccines in Bangladesh. The study uses the Papillomavirus Rapid Interface for Modelling and Economics (PRIME) model to assess the cost-effectiveness of introducing HPV vaccination. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were estimated per disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted using the cost-effectiveness threshold (CET). The analyses were done from a health system perspective in terms of vaccine delivery routes. Introduction of bi-valent HPV vaccination was found highly cost-effective (ICER = US$488/DALY) at Gavi (The Vaccine Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations) negotiated prices. The value of ICERs were US$710, US$356 and US$397 per DALY averted for school-based, health facility-based, and outreach-based programs, respectively, which is consistent with the CET range (US$67 to US$854). However, bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines at listed prices were not found cost-effective, with ICERs of US$1405 and US$3250 per DALY averted, respectively, that exceeds the CETs values. Introducing a two-dose bi-valent HPV vaccination program is cost-effective in Bangladesh at Gavi negotiated prices. Vaccine price is the dominating parameter for the cost-effectiveness of bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines. Both vaccines are not cost-effective at listed prices in Bangladesh. The evaluation highlights that introducing the two-dose bivalent HPV vaccine at Gavi negotiated prices into a national immunization program in Bangladesh is economically viable to reduce the burden of cervical cancer.