Mapping the Health Communication Infrastructure in Rural Senegal: an Assessment to Support Cervical Cancer Screening

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of women's cancer deaths in Senegal, but few medical personnel are trained to perform cervical cancer screening. In rural areas, the situation is worse. To remedy this, a collaborative of researchers and stakeholders trained local health-care workers in cervical cancer screening through the “training-of-trainers” method. However, lack of cancer screening knowledge, barriers, and a hard-to-reach population may jeopardize the collaborative's efforts. The purpose of this study is to map the health communication infrastructure by applying communication infrastructure theory to assess general health and cancer screening knowledge, as well as attitudes and barriers toward screening. Results from focus groups and interviews show that women have minimal knowledge of cervical cancer. Moreover, health workers report detrimental attitudes in menopausal women. Our findings identified routes for information dissemination and attitude change including community radio and local health talks.

Keywords:

• Health Communication
• Communication Infrastructure Theory
• Cervical Cancer Screening
• Rural Senegal
• Focus Groups

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all participants in Senegal for their hospitality and generosity, Peace Corps Senegal volunteers for support in the field, and anonymous reviewers for guidance and direction.

Notes

[1] Senegal is one of the countries with the strongest opposition to birth control (Lipka, 2014).

[2] Peace Corps undergo training through the established community-Peace Corps-academic partnership prior to placement in the field (i.e., in the USA). During this stage, Peace Corps volunteers are oriented on research ethics, conducting focus groups, community assessments, and on research protocols. Once in the visiting country, they receive three months of intercultural, language, and practical training before going to the field on their own. At that point, they have a good command of the local language of the area they are assigned to (DiMenichi, 2011; Peace Corps (U.S.), 1999).

[3] All the materials (slides, visual charts, and handouts) were in French.

[4] This quote represents the voices of several women.