Personal and Socio-Cultural Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening in Iran, Patient and Provider Perceptions: a Qualitative Study

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> Although cervical cancer is preventable and early screening might decrease the associatedmortality, challenges faced by the women and health care providers can postpone early detection. This qualitativestudy aimed to establish patient and provider perceptions about personal and socio-cultural barriers for cervicalcancer screening in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: In the present study, which was conducted in 2012,eighteen participants, who were selected purposefully, participated in individual in-depth, semi-structuredinterviews, which were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using conventional content analysis andAtlas-Ti software. <br/><b>Results</b>: One theme and two categories were derived from data including: cognitive/behavioralfactors (lack of a community-based approach to cervical cancer, lack of awareness, wrong attitude and lackof health seeking behaviors) and socio/cultural issues (socio-cultural invasion, mismatch between tradition,modernity and religious, extra marital relationships and cultural taboos). <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: Providing communitybased approach education programs and employing social policy are needed for preventing of cervical cancerin Iran.