Cervical Cancer Awareness Campaign for Marginalized Communities in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur District
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58676/sjmas.v3i5.128Keywords:
Cervical cancer prevention, HPV vaccination, Tribal health, Community health education, Public health campaignAbstract
Background: Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women in India, especially within marginalized tribal populations. In Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, limited healthcare access, low literacy, and cultural stigma exacerbate the disease burden. Despite being preventable through HPV vaccination and regular screening, awareness and uptake of these measures remain critically low.
Methods and Materials: A community-based cervical cancer awareness campaign was designed and implemented in Jagdalpur using a mixed-methods approach. The campaign combined educational workshops, mobile screening units, and HPV vaccination drives. Culturally tailored interventions such as folk media, tribal leader engagement, and local language materials were employed. Data collection included pre- and post-campaign surveys, focus group discussions, and service uptake monitoring to assess the impact.
Results: The campaign engaged over 5,000 participants, with notable increases in awareness and behavioral changes. Awareness of cervical cancer rose from 28% to 75%, while knowledge of HPV vaccination and Pap smears increased by 51% and 53%, respectively. More than 1,200 women underwent Pap smears and 520 adolescent girls received the HPV vaccine. The campaign demonstrated that community involvement and cultural sensitivity significantly improve health engagement and service utilization.
Conclusion: The Jagdalpur cervical cancer awareness initiative highlights the effectiveness of community-driven, culturally appropriate strategies in reducing health disparities. Future efforts should focus on policy integration, infrastructure support, and sustained community health education to ensure long-term impact and replicability in similar underserved settings.
References
Abu-Rustum, N. R., Yashar, C. M., Arend, R., Barber, E., Bradley, K., Brooks, R., Campos, S. M., Chino, J., Chon, H. S., Crispens, M. A., Damast, S., Fisher, C. M., Frederick, P., Gaffney, D. K., Gaillard, S., Giuntoli, R., Glaser, S., Holmes, J., Howitt, B. E., & Lea, J. (2023). NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Cervical cancer, version 1.2024. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 21(12), 1224–1233. https://doi.org/10.6004/jnccn.2023.0062
Ampofo, A. G., Boyes, A. W., Khumalo, P. G., & Mackenzie, L. (2022). Improving knowledge, attitudes, and uptake of cervical cancer prevention among female students: A systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based health education. Gynecologic Oncology, 164(3), 675–690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.12.021
Arbyn, M., Weiderpass, E., Bruni, L., de Sanjosé, S., Saraiya, M., Ferlay, J., & Bray, F. (2019). Estimates of incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in 2018: A worldwide analysis. The Lancet Global Health, 8(2), e191–e203. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30482-6
Bhatla, N., & Singhal, S. (2020). Primary HPV screening for cervical cancer. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 65, 98–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2020.02.008
Bruni, L., Serrano, B., Roura, E., Alemany, L., Cowan, M., Herrero, R., Poljak, M., Murillo, R., Broutet, N., Riley, L. M., & de Sanjosé, S. (2022). Cervical cancer screening programmes and age-specific coverage estimates for 202 countries and territories worldwide: A review and synthetic analysis. The Lancet Global Health, 10(8), e1115–e1127. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00241-8
Cibula, D., Raspollini, M. R., Planchamp, F., Centeno, C., Chargari, C., Felix, A., Fischerova, D., Jahnn-Kuch, D., Joly, F., Kohler, C., Lax, S., Lorusso, D., Mahantshetty, U., Mathevet, P., Naik, R., Nout, R. A., Oaknin, A., Peccatori, F., Persson, J., & Querleu, D. (2023). ESGO/ESTRO/ESP guidelines for the management of patients with cervical cancer – Update 2023. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, 33(5), 649–666. https://doi.org/10.1136/ijgc-2023-004429
Das, M. (2018). Cervical cancer vaccine controversy in India. The Lancet Oncology, 19(2), e84. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30018-4
Jit, M., Prem, K., Benard, E., & Brisson, M. (2021). From cervical cancer elimination to eradication of vaccine-type human papillomavirus: Feasibility, public health strategies and cost-effectiveness. Preventive Medicine, 144, 106354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106354
Johnson, C. A., James, D., Marzan, A., & Armaos, M. (2019). Cervical cancer: An overview of pathophysiology and management. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 35(2), 166–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2019.02.003
Kjaer, S. K., Dehlendorff, C., Belmonte, F., & Baandrup, L. (2021). Real-world effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccination against cervical cancer. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 113(10), 1329–1335. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djab080
Mahajan, I., Kadam, A., McCann, L., Ghose, A., Wakeham, K., Dhillon, N. S., Stanway, S., Boussios, S., Banerjee, S., Priyadarshini, A., Sirohi, B., Torode, J. S., & Mitra, S. (2024). Early adoption of innovation in HPV prevention strategies: Closing the gap in cervical cancer. Ecancermedicalscience, 18, 1762. https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2024.1762
Musa, J., Achenbach, C. J., O’Dwyer, L. C., Evans, C. T., McHugh, M., Hou, L., Simon, M. A., Murphy, R. L., & Jordan, N. (2017). Effect of cervical cancer education and provider recommendation for screening on screening rates: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 12(9), e0183924. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183924
Naz, M. S. G., Kariman, N., Ebadi, A., Ozgoli, G., Ghasemi, V., & Fakari, F. R. (2018). Educational interventions for cervical cancer screening behavior of women: A systematic review. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 19(4), 875–884. https://doi.org/10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.4.875
Pimple, S. A., & Mishra, G. A. (2019). Global strategies for cervical cancer prevention and screening. Minerva Ginecologica, 71(4), 313–320. https://doi.org/10.23736/S0026-4784.19.04397-1
Rahangdale, L., Mungo, C., O’Connor, S., Chibwesha, C. J., & Brewer, N. T. (2022). Human papillomavirus vaccination and cervical cancer risk. BMJ, 379, e070115. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-070115
Rai, R., Sehgal, R., Singhal, S., Suri, V., Shivkumar, P., Balasubramani, L., Rajaram, S., Shamsunder, S., Bagga, R., Vashist, S., Meena, J., Mishra, A., Chawla, L., Kumari, S., Mani, K., & Bhatla, N. (2023). Cervical cancer screening coverage at tertiary care institutes across India. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 24(12), 4269–4275. https://doi.org/10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.12.4269
Rajaram, S., & Gupta, B. (2022). Screening for cervical cancer: Choices & dilemmas. Indian Journal of Medical Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_857_20
Rashid, S., Labani, S., & Das, B. C. (2016). Knowledge, awareness and attitude on HPV, HPV vaccine and cervical cancer among the college students in India. PLOS ONE, 11(11), e0166713. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166713
Sharma, S., Deep, A., & Sharma, A. K. (2020). Current treatment for cervical cancer: An update. Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 20(15), 1768–1779. https://doi.org/10.2174/1871520620666200224093301
Shrestha, A. D., Neupane, D., Vedsted, P., & Kallestrup, P. (2018). Cervical cancer prevalence, incidence and mortality in low and middle income countries: A systematic review. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 19(2), 319–324. https://doi.org/10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.2.319
Srivastava, A., Misra, J., Srivastava, S., Das, B., & Gupta, S. (2018). Cervical cancer screening in rural India: Status & current concepts. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 148(6), 687–696. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_5_17
Taneja, N., Chawla, B., Awasthi, A. A., Shrivastav, K. D., Jaggi, V. K., & Janardhanan, R. (2021). Knowledge, attitude, and practice on cervical cancer and screening among women in India: A review. Cancer Control, 28, 107327482110107. https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748211010799
Victoire Fokom-Defo, D., Dille, I., & Fokom-Domgue, J. (2024). Single dose HPV vaccine in achieving global cervical cancer elimination. The Lancet Global Health, 12(3), e360–e361. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00009-3
Williamson, A.-L. (2023). Recent developments in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinology. Viruses, 15(7), 1440. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071440
Wirtz, C., Mohamed, Y., Engel, D., Sidibe, A., Holloway, M., Bloem, P., Kumar, S., Brotherton, J., Reis, V., & Morgan, C. (2022). Integrating HPV vaccination programs with enhanced cervical cancer screening and treatment: A systematic review. Vaccine, 40, A116–A123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.11.013
Zhetpisbayeva, I., Kassymbekova, F., Sarmuldayeva, S., Semenova, Y., & Glushkova, N. (2023). Cervical cancer prevention in rural areas. Annals of Global Health, 89(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4133
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Deepika Mandal, Dr Ghassan Salibi, Prof Nikolaos Tzenios
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
