Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research: Sexual Health
Early cervical cancer screening: The influence of culture and religion
Submitted: 05 August 2022 | Published: 25 January 2023
About the author(s)
Fungai Gutusa, Department of Health Studies, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South AfricaLizeth Roets, Department of Health Studies, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Background: Screening for cervical cancer at an early stage is essential for providing women with a better chance of receiving effective treatment for both precancers and cancer. Delaying screening until cancer has advanced can be detrimental, resulting in late presentation of cervical cancer and, as a result, cancer metastasis.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which culture and religion influence early cervical cancer screening in women.
Setting: The research was conducted in one of the rural districts in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe.
Methods: A qualitative exploratory and contextual design was utilised, and data were gathered by means of semistructured interviews. At 17 semistructured interviews, data saturation was reached and further data collection terminated. Data were thematically analysed.
Results: Five themes that described participants’ perceptions on culture and religion as barriers to early cervical cancer screening emerged from the data. These included a lack of knowledge, stigmatisation, cultural beliefs and values, religion and a lack of resources. These all negatively affected participants’ motivation to seek early screening services.
Conclusion: According to the study findings, culture and religion constitute impediments to early cervical cancer screening for rural women. Interventions that encourage screening, such as targeted health education and health promotion materials, must consider cultural and religious views if behaviour change in diverse groups is to be accomplished.
Contribution: The study has the potential to inform Zimbabwean health policy and contribute to prospective interventions or health education that encourage women to attend early cancer screening.
Keywords
Sustainable Development Goal
Metrics
Total abstract views: 6314Total article views: 7484
Crossref Citations
1. Factors affecting cervical screening using the health belief model during the last decade: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Abdallah Al‐Ani, Muhammad Hammouri, Hala Sultan, Leen Al‐Huneidy, Asem Mansour, Maysa Al‐Hussaini
Psycho-Oncology vol: 33 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.1002/pon.6275
2. Improving cervical cancer continuum of care towards elimination in Ethiopia: a scoping review
Aklilu Endalamaw, Habtamu Alganeh, Muluken Azage, Asmamaw Atnafu, Daniel Erku, Eskinder Wolka, Adane Nigusie, Anteneh Zewdie, Destaw Fetene Teshome, Yibeltal Assefa
Cancer Causes & Control vol: 35 issue: 3 first page: 549 year: 2024
doi: 10.1007/s10552-023-01813-9
3. Declaration on cervical cancer elimination: literature review and perspectives from early-career clinicians
Joanna Kacperczyk-Bartnik, Houssein El Hajj, Icó Tóth, Nicolò Bizzarri, Richard Tóth, Zoia Razumova, Tibor Andrea Zwimpfer, Nadja Taumberger, Esra Bilir, Aleksandra Strojna, Martina Aida Angeles, Khayal Gasimli, Tanja Nikolova, Paweł Bartnik, Andrej Cokan, Sezin Yuce Sari, Ilker Kahramanoglu, Giuseppe Caruso, Elmar A. Joura, Maria Kyrgiou, Vesna Kesic, Anna Fagotti, Marc Arbyn, Murat Gultekin
International Journal of Gynecological Cancer vol: 35 issue: 7 first page: 101902 year: 2025
doi: 10.1016/j.ijgc.2025.101902
4. The Effect of Self-Sampling or Clinician-Based Sampling on Anxiety in Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Ozge Sen, Tulay Yilmaz
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada vol: 47 issue: 9 first page: 103052 year: 2025
doi: 10.1016/j.jogc.2025.103052
5. Awareness, Cultural Beliefs, and Health-Seeking Behavior of Females in Cancer Screening: A Pilot Study in Rural South Africa
Olufunmilayo Olukemi Akapo, Mojisola Clara Hosu, Mirabel Kah-Keh Nanjoh
Epidemiologia vol: 6 issue: 4 first page: 90 year: 2025
doi: 10.3390/epidemiologia6040090
6. Pooled performance of urinary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for the presence of cervical HPV
Zichen Ye, Yuankai Zhao, Jiahui Wang, Qiankun Wang, Qu Lu, Yu Jiang, Peng Xue
Cancer vol: 131 issue: 22 year: 2025
doi: 10.1002/cncr.70175
7. Determinants of cervical cancer screening among African and African American women: a qualitative systematic review
Olamide Comfort Ogundare, Grace Oluwatofunmi Adeyemo, Sunkanmi Folorunsho
Ethnicity & Health vol: 31 issue: 4 first page: 332 year: 2026
doi: 10.1080/13557858.2026.2630820
8. An Investigation of the Effect of Education Interventions Given to Women in Turkey with Religious Orientation on Cervical Cancer and Pap Smear Test Health Beliefs
Ayşe Berivan Savci Bakan, Gulpinar Aslan, Fatma Basaran
Journal of Religion and Health vol: 64 issue: 5 first page: 3836 year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s10943-025-02435-y
9. The role of nurses in the prevention of cervical cancer: Cervical screening, an unkept promise by the majority of women in Nigeria
Mary Opeyemi Adigun, Deborah Tolulope Esan, Benedict Tolulope Adeyanju, Babatunji Emmanuel Oyinloye
Journal of Integrative Nursing vol: 5 issue: 4 first page: 311 year: 2023
doi: 10.4103/jin.jin_65_23
10. Survival and socioeconomic factors in patients with cervical cancer undergoing palliative care: a retrospective cohort study
Carmen Jessenia Apolo, Sara Valeria Almeida, María Fernanda García, Yunqi Yu, Harold A. Alexander-León
Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society vol: 3 year: 2026
doi: 10.3389/fcacs.2025.1656863
11. Prevalence and Predictors of Cervical Cancer Screening Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Vivian Ukamaka Nwokedi, Godwin Kenechukwu Nwajiugo, Oluchi Chioma Okechukwu, Rebecca Ibidun Biose, Olugbemi Oluseyi Motilewa, Wonderful Oluwatoyin Anosike, Oluwafunmilayo E.O. Adetona
Oncology, Nuclear Medicine and Transplantology vol: 1 issue: 2 first page: onmt009 year: 2025
doi: 10.63946/onmt/17451
12. Factors affecting cervical cancer screening and human papilloma virus vaccination among Middle Eastern refugee women in Türkiye: indicators for social workers and nurses
Yaser Snoubar, Baraka Abusafia, Zekiye Turan
Annals of Medicine vol: 57 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1080/07853890.2025.2468261
13. Assessing the efficacy of convolutional neural networks for Pap smear classification: a real world analysis
Sidnir Carlos Baia Ferreira, Romário Silva, Carlos André de Mattos Teixeira, Josiellem Souza, Evelin Gomes, Paulo Assumpção, João Guerreiro, Nandamudi Vijaykumar, Carlos Renato Lisboa Francês, Jasmine Araújo
PeerJ Computer Science vol: 12 first page: e3708 year: 2026
doi: 10.7717/peerj-cs.3708
14. Perceptions of a Diverse Group of U.S. Women on the Ease of Vaginal Self-Sampling for Cancer Detection
Parker O’Connell, Roaa Rafat Mohamed, Amy Delicia Akineza, Arnaud Iradukunda, Christina Burns, Ozlem Equils
Women's Health Reports vol: 6 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1177/26884844251379035
15. Integrating Cervical Cancer Screening into Rural Healthcare Delivery Systems for Better Patient Outcomes
Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava, Prateek Sudhakar Bobhate, Kresna Lintang Pratidina
Journal of Mid-life Health vol: 16 issue: 4 first page: 492 year: 2025
doi: 10.4103/jmh.jmh_30_25
16. Relationship Between Menopausal Symptoms, Cancer Screening Behaviors, and Religion Attitudes of Women in the Climacteric Period: A Cross-Sectional Study
R Atilla, D Kaya, RH Akarsu, V Köroğlu
Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice vol: 27 issue: 2 first page: 280 year: 2024
doi: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_676_23
17. Bridging the gap in cervical cancer screening for underserved communities: MCED and the promise of future technologies
Aya Hasan Alshammari, Hideshi Ishii, Takaaki Hirotsu, Hideyuki Hatakeyama, Masayo Morishita, Eric di Luccio
Frontiers in Oncology vol: 14 year: 2024
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1407008
18. Interventions and Strategies to Increase Cervical Cancer Screening, Treatment, and Retention in Care among Persons with HIV in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Riya Mittal, Katherine E. Kabel, Madison R. Fertig, Jane H. Lee, Nzwakie Mosery, Jennifer N. Githaiga, Jenni Smit, Christina Psaros, Amelia M. Stanton
AIDS and Behavior vol: 29 issue: 7 first page: 2144 year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04678-y
19. Determinants of Cervical Cancer Screening in Early Middle-Aged Women in India Using Weighted Random Forest
Anjana Eledath Kolasseri, Venkataramana Bhimavarapu
Indian Journal of Gynecologic Oncology vol: 23 issue: 3 year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s40944-025-01027-8
20. Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Factors Influencing Romanian Women’s Intention to Undergo Cervical Cancer Screening: A Mixed-Method Study
Nicoleta-Monica Pașca, Diana Taut, Sebastian Pintea, Adriana-Smaranda Băban
Healthcare vol: 13 issue: 17 first page: 2147 year: 2025
doi: 10.3390/healthcare13172147
21. Awareness, Acceptability and Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening among Pregnant Women in Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Idowu Ade-Ojo, Omolara Ojo
Sierra Leone Journal of Medicine vol: 1 issue: 1 first page: 25 year: 2024
doi: 10.69524/sljm.v1i1.43
22. Disparities in cervical cancer screening in the United States
Marcos Lepe
Cancer Cytopathology vol: 132 issue: 4 first page: 205 year: 2024
doi: 10.1002/cncy.22752
23. Barriers in the prevention and early detection of human papillomavirus in Latin America
Leopoldo Santiago Sanabria, Viviana Angélica Laverde Cardona, Yotin Ramón Pérez D, Fabrizio Abreu, María Luisina Cicerchia, Camila Cajelli, Martín de Jesús Inurreta Díaz, Mirtha Jimena Vásquez Medina, Karina Auxiliadora Amador, Gery Rosmary Ruiz Carillo
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics vol: 170 issue: 3 first page: 1144 year: 2025
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.70177
24. Development and Psychometric Testing of a Scale Evaluating Traditional Health Practices for Cervical Cancer Prevention Among Haitian Migrant Women
Dominique Guillaume, Nancy Perrin, Maria L. Alcaide, Laetitia Mélissande Amédée, Jennifer Wenzel, Rupali Limaye, Natalie Pierre‐Joseph, Ann Augustin, Kamila Alexander
Psycho-Oncology vol: 35 issue: 3 year: 2026
doi: 10.1002/pon.70433
25. Mass Media Exposure and Cervical Cancer Screening in Rural Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Multi‐Country Cross‐Sectional Analysis
Alex Bawuah, Vicky Q. Wang, Khadijat Adeleye, Edward Kwabena Ameyaw, Sanni Yaya
Health Science Reports vol: 8 issue: 4 year: 2025
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70663
26. Applicability of the levels of the socio-ecological model in the context of cervical cancer prevention: a scoping review
Lígia Gabryelle da Silva Louza, Maria Luziene de Sousa Gomes, Mônica Oliveira Batista Oriá, Eremita Val Rafael, Janielle Ferreira de Brito Lima, Jaiza Sousa Penha, William Caracas Moreira, Ana Carolina Ribeiro Tamboril
Cancer Causes & Control vol: 37 issue: 1 year: 2026
doi: 10.1007/s10552-025-02109-w
27. Turning the tide—Recommendations to increase cervical cancer screening among women who are underscreened
Philippe Descamps, Samantha Dixon, Francesc Xavier Bosch Jose, Maria Kyrgiou, Joseph Monsonego, Ody Neisingh, Lananh Nguyen, Mairead O'Connor, Jennifer S. Smith
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics vol: 166 issue: S1 first page: 3 year: 2024
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.15600
28. Sociocultural factors influencing women’s adherence to colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening: a systematic review
Ghaneshinee Sathiyaseelan, Syahnaz Mohd Hashim, Azmawati Mohammed Nawi
BMC Public Health vol: 25 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23118-z
29. Nurses at the forefront in cervical cancer: HPV vaccine promotion to combat the deadly disease in India
Sanjana Agrawal, Srikanta Padhan, Suganya Panneerselvam, Senthilkumar Ramasamy
Journal of Education and Health Promotion vol: 14 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1588_24