“Everyone needs a Deb”: what Australian indigenous women say about breast cancer screening and treatment services

Abstract

Background Breast cancer continues to be the second most diagnosed cancer overall and the most diagnosed cancer for women in Australia. While mortality rates overall have declined in recent years, Indigenous women continue to be diagnosed at more marginal rates (0.9 times) and are more likely to die (1.2 times). The literature provides a myriad of reasons for this; however, the voices of Indigenous women are largely absent. This study sets out to understand what is happening from the perspectives of Australian Indigenous women with a view to charting culturally safer pathways that improve participation in screening and treatment by Indigenous women. Methods This co-design study was conducted using semi-structured, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Recruitment of study participants was via snowball sampling. Participants were subsequently consented into the study through the Aboriginal Health Service and the research team. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data coded in NVivo12 using inductive thematic analysis. Results A total of 21 Indigenous women and 14 health service providers were interviewed predominantly from the same regional/rural area in NSW, with a small proportion from other states in Australia. Six major themes were identified: Access, Awareness, Community and Family, Lack of control, Negative feelings and associations and Role of services. Conclusion To improve access and participation of Indigenous women and ultimately improve mortality rates, breast cancer services must explicitly address cultural and community needs.

Mediators of psychosocial well-being for immigrant women living with breast cancer in Canada: a critical ethnography

“…[12] Several studies found that ethnic minority immigrant women experience inadequate and inequitable access to health care and community services. [9][10][11][12] The unique cultural beliefs of ethnic minorities and people who immigrate to Canada influence their health and illness experiences and lead to lower breast cancer screening rates. [13][14][15] Owing to communication barriers, [16] lack of knowledge, [17] and low health literacy, [14,18] immigrant women find it difficult to navigate health care services and to establish relationships with health care providers.…”

“…[11] In another research study, understanding issues related to access, awareness, and the role of health care affected the engagement of Indigenous women in accessing breast cancer diagnosis and treatment services. [12] Several studies found that ethnic minority immigrant women experience inadequate and inequitable access to health care and community services. [9][10][11][12] The unique cultural beliefs of ethnic minorities and people who immigrate to Canada influence their health and illness experiences and lead to lower breast cancer screening rates.…”