Research & Projects

Cervical screening for Nepalese and Bangladeshi women

Taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of your family

A project to increase access to and participation in cervical screening for Nepalese and Bangladeshi women was conducted in South Eastern Sydney Local Health District in 2016-2018.

Video and print resources were co-designed with community members with expert input provided by GPs, Women’s Health Nurses and Cancer Institute NSW program managers. The key message identified in the project was ‘taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of your family’.

A hand covered in henna patterns

Screening Saves Lives Video Resources

Two of the videos focus specifically on the breast and cervical screening programs and have been developed for women from Bangladeshi and Nepalese backgrounds. These videos are available in English, Bengali and Nepali. The third video includes additional information on bowel screening, and although targeted to people from South Asian communities, is suitable for anyone seeking information on these cancer screening programs.

The five videos can be accessed through the SESLHD YouTube page:

Screening Saves Lives - spoken in Nepali

Screening Save Lives - Nepalese in English

Screening Saves Lives - spoken in Bengali

Screening Saves Lives - Bangladeshi in English

Screening Saves Lives - South Asian Community in English

Screening Saves Lives Print Resources

The co-designed print resource, promoting participation in the national cervical, breast and bowel screening programs, is available in 12 community languages including Arabic, Bangla, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Nepali, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese).

For further information on where to obtain these resources, please contact: SESLHD-WomensHealthProgram@health.nsw.gov.au

Outcomes

Preliminary evaluation of the project suggests there has been an increase in the intention to participate in cervical screening amongst Bangladeshi and Nepalese women and high levels of community engagement and cultural acceptability of the resources.

Collaboration and Co-Design

Collaboration and co-design principles underpinned the project. Primary care provider interventions included training, education and leadership development for GPs, Child and Family Nurses and Practice Nurses.

Project Partners

  • SESLHD Women’s Health Program
  • SESLHD Multicultural Health Program
  • Central and Eastern Primary Health Network (CESPHN)
  • Advance Diversity Services (ADS)
  • Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, UNSW

This project was funded by Cancer Institute NSW.

For further information on this project, please contact: SESLHD-WomensHealthProgram@health.nsw.gov.au