Overcoming barriers to utilization of breast and cervical cancer prevention programs in South East Asian women of North Eastern Ohio

Background: The largest concentration of Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) in the state of Ohio live in Cuyahoga County. Amongst these APIs, the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotians groups are considered poorer, less educated, and more isolated than other Asian ethnic groups. In Cuyahoga County, Asian American women have the lowest utilization (compared to other racial/ethnic groups) of Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH)'s breast and cervical cancer program, despite the fact that 40% of them live at 200% of federal poverty line, and are eligible for services. Purpose: The purpose of this project is to identify barriers for utilization of available breast and cervical cancer programs among Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian women, and to empower those women to address breast and cervical cancer prevention in their own communities. Methods: A women's health forum with local Asian women was held, and follow-up phone interviews with women, specifically from the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian communities, were conducted to investigate predictors of use for breast and cervical cancer screening. Results: The following common themes have emerged from the interviews with Vietnamese women: lack of health insurance, negative perception of hospitals, fear of cancer, and little understanding of Pap smear examinations. Data analysis will continue as more interviews are conducted with Cambodian and Laotian women. Discussions/Conclusions: The results from these communities are shared with CCBH staff, and three bilingual women from these target communities are trained to be “natural helpers” that will provide linguistically and culturally competent group education in their communities.