Stakeholders' perspectives on communication gaps in cervical cancer prevention among women of Turkish, Moroccan and Syrian origin: a focus group study in the Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE

To gather stakeholders’ perspectives on the gaps between the information needs of women of Turkish, Moroccan and Syrian origin and the current communication practices regarding cervical cancer (CC) prevention programmes.

DESIGN

This qualitative study employed five focus group discussions (FGDs) with three categories of stakeholders. The social ecological model (SEM) guided the selection of stakeholders at the interpersonal, community and system level and the interpretation of findings.

SETTING

Data were collected in the Netherlands between January and February 2024.

PARTICIPANTS

(1) Two FGDs with key community figures (n=20, interpersonal and community level), (2) two FGDs with healthcare professionals (n=12, interpersonal and system level) and (3) one FGD with communication experts, programme managers and policy makers (n=8, system level). Discussions with key community figures focused on cultural, religious, emotional and practical aspects of CC prevention programmes among women of Turkish, Moroccan and Syrian origin. Healthcare professionals discussed barriers and facilitators in communication practices, and the communication experts, programme managers and policy makers discussed the feasibility of suggested interventions by the first two stakeholder groups. The FGDs were transcribed verbatim in Dutch and thematically analysed.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in six themes: (1) stakeholders’ perceptions on the considerations that women of Turkish, Moroccan and Syrian origin have when seeking, understanding and applying information about CC and CC prevention programmes; (2) current approach for health communication practices; (3) suggestions for interventions focused on women of Turkish, Moroccan and Syrian origin; (4) suggestions for interventions focused on the target population’s network; (5) variations among women of Turkish, Moroccan and Syrian origin that need to be considered and (6) conditions that the interventions should meet. Stakeholders described substantial gaps between women’s information needs and current communication practices, mainly related to misconceptions, limited awareness and doubts about the effectiveness of the CC prevention programmes. They characterised existing communication as predominantly top-down, from stakeholders at the system level to women at the individual level. Therefore, stakeholders emphasised the need to involve community-level stakeholders and to strengthen their communication skills and capacities to better support informed decision-making (IDM).

CONCLUSIONS

Current CC prevention communication is perceived as predominantly top-down, from system level stakeholders to women at the individual level. Stakeholders highlighted the necessity of shifting towards dynamic interactions among stakeholders across all levels of the SEM. Partnerships between system-level and community-level stakeholders are recommended to enhance knowledge exchange and awareness of culturally relevant barriers. Collaborative approaches, such as joint educational sessions, co-creating information materials and interactive events, may improve recognisability, accessibility and trust in CC prevention programmes. These findings offer valuable insights into the feasibility of tailored interventions and the roles of various stakeholders, supporting IDM regarding CC prevention programmes among women of Turkish, Moroccan and Syrian origin.