Researchers from the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine and Gillings School of Public Health are exploring the potential of HPV self-collection kits to increase cervical cancer screenings among underserved and under-screened women in North Carolina.
The aim of the study is to overcome hurdles such as transportation difficulties among women with a lack of insurance.
Jennifer Smith, associate professor of epidemiology at the university, explained self-collection kits are user-friendly and need no supervision, making it easy for women to test swiftly in a private location of their choice. By using prepaid mailers to send samples back for analysis, the kits could save lives.
“It’s really increasing screening rates among the under-screened that is going to have the biggest impact on invasive cancer mortality in our state of North Carolina,” Smith asserted.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal more than 8 million womenaged 21 to 65 have not undergone a cervical cancer screening in the past five years.
However, Smith’s research indicates utilizing the kits has led to a substantial increase in screenings for women of diverse ages, backgrounds and insurance statuses who are at risk of cervical cancer.
More data from the CDC suggests up to 93% of cervical cancers could be prevented. The researchers aim for this trial to pave the way for self-collection kits to gain FDA approval. By offering a convenient and accessible alternative for screening, Smith hopes the initiative will improve preventive health care for all women in North Carolina and beyond.
“I think it’s really important that women understand that if they are 21 years of age or older, they have access to pap-smear screenings, and if they’re 30 years of age or older, they can also combine HPV testing along with the pap-smear testing or even HPV primary screening alone to screen for cervical cancer,” Smith outlined.
With more than 12,000 women diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, Smith advised promoting open conversations with loved ones on the subject to encourage testing.
get more stories like this via email
This week is National Women’s Health Week, and New York is taking steps to improve women’s health.
The New York state Legislature has passed numerous bills to strengthen reproductive health and eliminate maternal health care inequities.
A 2023 report from the state’s Department of Health found discrimination was a probable circumstance in 46% of all pregnancy-related deaths in 2018.
Ali Foti, program officer for the New York Health Foundation, described a grant program they have developed, which focuses on eradicating maternal health disparities.
“We have a grant-making priority area here at the New York Health Foundation called Empowering Healthcare Consumers, which really focuses on ensuring patients who have been marginalized in our health care system are instead placed at the center of their care and are able to make care decisions that align with their needs and preferences,” Foti explained.
She pointed out the program aims to help mothers and birthing people make well-informed decisions about their care.
A 2021 report from New York’s Taskforce on Maternal Mortality and Disparate Racial Outcomes made numerous recommendations on how to improve maternal care. Most centered around improving access to health care and services associated with prenatal and postpartum care.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the regularity with which people seek medical care. According to a survey from the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum, around 20% of adults said they delayed or were unable to get medical care because of the pandemic.
Dr. Donna O’Shea, OB/GYN and chief medical officer for population health at UnitedHealthcare, said things have gotten better for people seeking care, like preventive screenings.
“I think it’s better, people are starting to catch up,” O’Shea observed. “But depending on which age group you fall into, you have different needs and special needs for when you’re in early adulthood or in late adulthood.”
O’Shea noted it is important to remind women there are special needs linked to their age, such as starting to screen for cervical cancer at age 21.
America’s Health Rankings Health of Women and Children report found New York’s rate of cervical cancer screenings of 76.2% came in just under the national average of 77.1%.
get more stories like this via email
Mother’s Day kicked off Women’s Health Week this week, and experts are reminding women to prioritize their well-being.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns women who are caregivers are at greater risk for poor physical and mental health.
Dr. Karol Watson, professor of medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles and director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Health Program, cautioned women to know their risk for heart disease, the nation’s number one killer of women.
“A lot of it will have to do with seeing your health-care provider,” Watson outlined. “Knowing your blood pressure, your cholesterol, but also talking to your family about your family history, anything that you might need to know that could impact your own risk.”
Experts also urged women to make appointments for any screenings they may have put off during COVID, such as a mammogram or screenings for cervical or colon cancer.
Sonya Young Aadam, CEO of the California Black Women’s Health Project, said it’s important for women of color in particular to bring a friend or family member to their medical appointments to help advocate for them, especially during a health crisis.
“Too often we experience — sometimes implicit, sometimes explicit — bias when we’re going for health care,” Young Aadam emphasized. “Don’t go alone, because there is safety in numbers.”
Dr. Donna O’Shea, an OB/GYN and chief medical officer of population health at UnitedHealthcare, said parents need to be on the lookout for symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescent girls.
“Especially after COVID, we found that 57% of high school girls experienced persistent feelings of sadness in the last year,” O’Shea reported. “Ten years ago, that number was only 36%.”
For Women’s Health Week, the CDC re-emphasized the importance of eating right, exercising and reducing stress.
Disclosure: United Healthcare contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
get more stories like this via email
Arguing politicians should never be able to force a person to carry a pregnancy against their will, a coalition of abortion rights groups is now driving a petition to let Florida voters have their own say with a constitutional amendment in 2024.
The multimillion-dollar campaign comes after the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law, to prevent most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Kara Gross, legislative director for the ACLU of Florida, said the petition gives an individual the right to decide what’s best, without government interference.
“That the government will not interfere with the ability to have an abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health as determined by the health care provider,” Gross explained.
Fetal viability has generally been interpreted as about 24 weeks of pregnancy. Gross called on anyone interested to sign the petition, which needs close to 900,000 valid signatures by Feb. 1, and if it makes the ballot, the measure will need approval from 60% of voters to pass.
The coalition includes groups such as Planned Parenthood, Florida Rising and Women’s Voices of Southwest Florida working to put forward the time-consuming process of gathering petitions with just nine months to go.
Gross said the Legislature gave them no choice.
“The near total abortion ban puts Floridians at risk for their own health,” Gross contended. “Floridians want to be able to make these decisions for themselves, they want to be able to make these decisions with the people they love, and they trust and in consultation with their health care providers. “
Republicans in support of an abortion ban view the six-week limit as a compromise. Opponents and ballot supporters said they are working quickly to prevent the Republican-controlled Legislature from changing the 60% threshold to make it more difficult for the measure to pass.
get more stories like this via email