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Women Empowerment-Cancer Awareness Nexus (WE-CAN) Project

India

Cervical cancer, caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), is the second leading cause of death among women in India. Cervical cancer can be prevented through routine screening. However, the routine Pap test, a procedure that tests for abnormal cells on the cervix, is not easily accessible to low-income women in India, where organized cancer screening programs are absent.

Project contact

  • Aisha Lofters

Background

Lack of financial resources, limited knowledge and stigma about cervical cancer also deter screening uptake. Self-sampling for HPV is an affordable option to reduce access barriers. It allows women to take their own sample, which can be done at home and at a time convenient to them.

Women Empowerment – Cancer Awareness Nexus (WE-CAN) is an innovative, family- centered and evidence-based program. It aims to reduce cervical cancer among low-income women in rural and urban neighbourhoods across 8 states in India.

Aims

The project objectives are to:

  1. promote open dialogue and health knowledge about cervical cancer prevention in the family and community (knowledge);

  2. reduce gendered stigma of HPV and cervical cancer (attitudes); and

  3. increase cervical cancer screening by enabling women to self-sample using HPV kit in the privacy of their own home (behaviour).

Project plan

WE-CAN consists of two components: (a) Arts-Based Cervical Cancer Education (ACCE) + Peer ACCE (PACCE), and (b) HPV Self-Sampling (HPV-SS).

To reduce barriers of participation related to low literacy, the project will use arts-based strategies to raise awareness and knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer. Storytelling will be carried out in user friendly formats – graphic novels, community theatre drama, digital stories of testimonials by service providers and community leaders. Researchers will engage under or never screened (UNS) women through ACCE (n=2880) and PACCE (n=27,648). They will also engage supportive men in ACCE (n=2880) to reduce stigma and promote acceptance of cervical cancer screening. Through WE-CAN, they anticipate increased knowledge of sexual health and uptake of cervical cancer screening. Results will advance policy change to establish organized affordable cervical cancer screening for women in India.

Principal investigators

  • Mandana Vahabi Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

  • Josephine Wong Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

  • Sharmila Pimple Tata Memorial Center, India

  • Aisha Lofters Women’s College Hospital, Canada

  • Gauravi Mishra Tata Memorial Center, India

Team members

  • Vijayshree Prakash Tata Memorial Center, India

  • Kavita Anand Tata Memorial Center, India

Funding organisations

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