# Caribbean Investigation of Cancer Stigma and its effect on Cervical Cancer Screening and HPV Vaccination

> **NIH NIH P30** · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · 2021 · $219,626

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Title: Caribbean Investigation of Cancer Stigma and its effect on Cervical Cancer Screening and HPV Vaccination
This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as "NOT-CA-21-026
Cancer stigma is an understudied barrier to cancer treatment seeking, early diagnosis, screening and other prevention
practices. In particular, cervical cancer (CCA) stigma must be prioritized for research as CCA is among the most deadly
but highly preventable cancers. CCA is the fourth most common cancer in the world despite an accurate screening test
and a preventive HPV vaccine. The Human papilloma Virus (HPV) causes 99% of cervical, as well as much of anal,
penile and oral cancers. The burden of CCA persists, and CCA incidence and mortality are even increasing among Black
women in low resourced countries globally. Specifically, CCA incidence is highest, and is the leading cause of premature
mortality among Caribbean women. Despite heightened risk for HPV-related cancer, and readily available, low cost
screening and HPV vaccination (HPVV), both CCA screening and HPV vaccine uptake in the Caribbean region is
perilously low. Our prior, preliminary research suggest that CCA stigma is associated with inadequate screening,
advanced cancer stage at diagnosis, and low uptake of the HPV vaccine among Caribbean populations, both in the
Caribbean region and United States (US). However, both our preliminary studies as well as the literature on CCA-related
stigma, suffer from a lack of population studies that employs qualitative and quantitative methods to rigorously quantify
stigma, and measure stigma’s impact on CCA screening and HPVV. Therefore in an effort to further understand the
impact of cancer stigma on CCA screening and HPVV for the Caribbean context, we aim to 1) culturally transcreate the
existing validated Cancer Stigma Scale (CASS) for population appropriateness, 2) assess cancer stigma in a non-patient
population of men and women using the culturally transcreated CASS in Jamaica and Grenada, 3) assess the association
of stigma and a) cervical cancer screening among women and b) HPVV knowledge and practice --- for participants with
HPVV eligible adolescents. For this study, social norms theory formed the theory, and we will use a mixed-methods
design, rooted in the community engaged research approach. A community advisory council will be appointed in both
Jamaica and Grenada, to inform the transcreation of CASS and overall cultural responsiveness of the study. The study
will use qualitative methods with stakeholders to transcreate and modify CASS. The study survey with the modified
CASS will be distributed via social media and electronic platforms to a population sample (n=1,240). Participants will
complete the survey using a paper-based format and the Research Electronic Data Capture System (REDCap). Based on
our preliminary findings and the lierature, we hypothesize similar stigma scores i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10406126
- **Project number:** 3P30CA033572-38S2
- **Recipient organization:** BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN Terry ROSEN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $219,626
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10406126

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10406126, Caribbean Investigation of Cancer Stigma and its effect on Cervical Cancer Screening and HPV Vaccination (3P30CA033572-38S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10406126. Licensed CC0.

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