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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2002 Sep 1;93(5):386–393. doi: 10.1007/BF03404575

A Systematic Literature Review of the Effectiveness of Communitybased Strategies to Increase Cervical Cancer Screening

Margaret E Black 116,416,✉, Janet Yamada 216,416, Valerie Mann 316,416
PMCID: PMC6979611  PMID: 12353463

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and summarize evidence of the effectiveness of interventions available to public health staff that could be used to increase cervical cancer screening to women.

Method: A thorough literature review was conducted, articles screened for relevance and assessed for quality.

Results: Of 42 relevant studies, 1 was rated ‘strong’, 18 ‘moderate’ and 23 ‘weak’. Among the strong/moderate studies, 10 were aimed at disadvantaged women. The most frequently used intervention was mass media campaigns, alone or combined with individual strategies; followed by individual education using lay health educators; and last, letters of invitation. Thirteen of the moderate/strong studies evaluated strategies that reported statistically significant increases in Pap smear rates and other outcomes.

Conclusions: Strategies that combined mass media campaigns with direct tailored education to women and/or health care providers seemed most successful. The importance of accurate centralized cytology databases for recall is underscored.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements: Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Public Health Research, Education and Development Program (PHRED) and Hamilton Social and Public Health Services. The authors thank the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Steering Committee 1999–2000 for their co-ordination support and the Cervical Cancer Screening Review Committee members for their substantial contribution to the relevance testing and the draft review comments. The authors also thank Linda Greenway, PHN, for her review comments.

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