Educational strategy for prevention of cervical cancer in Indigenous peoples: a participatory action research experience; [Estratégia educacional para a prevenção do câncer do colo do útero em indígenas: uma experiência de pesquisa-ação participativa]; [Estrategia educativa para la prevención del cáncer de cuello uterino en indígenas: una experiencia de investigación-acción participativa]

Autores organización

• Sandra Lucia Vargas Cruz

  Autor

Autores

• Velásquez-Jiménez C.M.
• Fandiño-Osorio V.
• Sarmiento-Medina M.
• Monsalve-Córdoba M.
• Puerto-De Amaya M.

Unidades de investigación

• Medicina Comunitaria y Salud Colectiva

  Investigador principal

  Alexandra Porras Ramirez

• Saneamiento Ecológico, Salud y Medio Ambiente

  

  Investigador

  Diana Marcela Sarmiento Senior

Resumen

This study aimed to evaluate changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices on cervical cancer after an educational intervention in the framework of participatory action research with Indigenous peoples of the El Paujil reservation, Guainía, Colombia. A diagnosis was made with an intercultural and participatory approach. Subsequently, the educational strategy was designed and implemented. Community leaders actively participated in the research during all stages. The strategy was evaluated via a survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practices about cervical cancer. The effects were determined by comparing pre- and post-intervention questionnaires with the Mann-Whitney and chi-squared tests. Overall, 957 women participated in the educational strategy. The level of knowledge about cervical cancer significantly improved, increasing from 8.5% to 12.5%, before and after the intervention (p < 0.001), respectively. The percentage of Pap smear testing also increased, from 64.4% to 73.9% (p = 0.0467). However, the limited knowledge about the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer, and about risk factors such as multiparity or early initiation of sexual intercourse remained the same. After the intervention, a significant increase in the knowledge of women with low educational level was found. Health education with an intercultural approach within the participatory action research framework is effective in improving knowledge and practices for the prevention of cervical cancer in vulnerable communities. However, for optimal results, it is important to hold long-term projects in order to build trust relationships with the communities. © 2025 Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz. All rights reserved.

Keywords

• Adult; Colombia; Community-Based Participatory Research; Female; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Indians, South American; Indigenous Peoples; Middle Aged; Papillomavirus Infections; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Young Adult; Article; attitude to health; cancer prevention; Colombia; educational status; female; health education; human; indigenous people; knowledge; multipara; Papanicolaou test; participatory action research; questionnaire; risk factor; sexual intercourse; uterine cervix cancer; vulnerable population; Wart virus; adult; American Indian; attitude to health; ethnology; indigenous people; middle aged; papillomavirus infection; participatory research; prevention and control; procedures; socioeconomics; uterine cervix tumor; young adult