Test of an intervention to improve knowledge of women with intellectual disabilities about cervical and breast cancer screening

Abstract

Women Be Healthy 2 is promising, but additional efforts appear necessary to increase the knowledge women with IDs have about cervical and breast cancer screening.

Global Outcome Trajectories After TBI Among Survivors and Nonsurvivors

“…Premature mortality is likely a consequence of a multitude of factors that evolve over time, with healthcare access and usage likely playing a role. Some studies indicate that people with disabilities underutilize primary and preventive healthcare, 30,31 whereas others find higher costs and greater numbers of medical encounters among individuals with disabilities. 32,33 Frequent doctor visits could reflect either excellent health management or extreme sickness; infrequent visits could indicate either excellent health (low need for medical care) or poor health that is not being properly managed.…”

Review of Interventions to Enhance the Health Communication of People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Communicative Health Literacy Perspective

“…), others addressed knowledge of health conditions or healthcare procedures such as examinations and screenings (Wilson & Goodman, ; Swaine et al . ). Webb & Stanton () included teaching on the steps they deemed essential for achieving access to primary health care.…”

“…With regard to cancer screening for women with intellectual disabilities, carers may not have adequate knowledge of screening protocols themselves, find such topics awkward to talk about or assume that women with intellectual disabilities do not need such screenings (Swaine et al . ).…”

“…; Swaine et al . ) and interventions using adapted health records or communication aids (Lennox et al . ; Webb & Stanton ; Macer & Fox ), at least in terms of the acceptability and usability of the latter.…”

Testing the Feasibility of a DVD-Based Intervention to Promote Preparedness for Mammography in Women with Intellectual Disabilities

“…Other researchers using more time and resource-intensive interventions have had higher effectiveness in increasing mammography knowledge and preparedness than we were able to demonstrate in this study’s limited efficacy measures (24). One such example is the Women Be Healthy curriculum developed by Lunsky et al (25) and disseminated and evaluated by Parish et al This program trains agency staff to offer a 12 hour curriculum to small groups of six to eight women with ID at a time; an updated curriculum now recommends 22 hours of training (26). While very comprehensive and effective, Women Be Healthy is also resource-intensive.…”