Patnè en Aksyon: Addressing Cancer Disparities in Little Haiti Through Research and Social Action

Abstract

Haitian women living in Miami, Florida, experience an increased risk of developing and dying from cervical cancer compared with women in other racial/ethnic minority and immigrant groups in the area. In response to this disparity, academic investigators from a local university-based cancer center and community leaders from Little Haiti, the predominately Haitian neighborhood in Miami, created Patnè en Aksyon (Partners in Action), a campus-community partnership. We describe the partnership's effort to document the prevalence of lifetime and routine Papanicolau test use using community-based participatory research methods. Community health workers indigenous to the area recruited participants from various community venues throughout Little Haiti and administered informal, brief interviews to assess their screening practices. The results indicate that Haitian women are underscreened and underscore the importance of community involvement in study implementation.

Acceptability and Feasibility of Human Papilloma Virus Self-Sampling for Cervical Cancer Screening

“…7 Among Haitians in Miami, fewer than half have been adequately screened. 8 Among such populations access to care, lack of insurance, no usual source of care, and lack of financial resources are repeatedly identified as major barriers to adequate Pap smear screening. 7,8a,9-11 For such immigrant and other low income populations the safety-net system, which includes public hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), plays a critical role in providing healthcare services.…”

Assessing the acceptability of self-sampling for HPV among Haitian immigrant women: CBPR in action

“…Data from a recent study conducted in Little Haiti indicate that Haitian women typically do not get Pap smears once every 3 years as recommended by national guidelines [9]. Of the nearly 1,000 Haitian women surveyed as part of this study, one-third had never had a Pap smear in their life, and among those with a history of screening, only 39% reported having had a Pap smear within the recommended time interval [10,11].…”

Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening Among Haitian Immigrant Women in Little Haiti, Miami

“…However, previous research has not specifically examined the significance of such barriers among Haitian immigrant women in Miami, Florida. Haitian women in Miami, particularly those who reside in a large ethnic enclave known as Little Haiti, experience an excess risk of cervical cancer mortality, largely due to lack of access to, and utilization of, routine Pap smear screening [21].…”