Assessing Cervical Cancer Health Literacy Among Karen Women in the Omaha Area

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death among Karen women, a predominant ethnic group in Myanmar. One of the largest and fastest growing Karen populations in the United States is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The objective of our study is to evaluate cervical cancer health literacy among Karen women and explore potential knowledge gaps that could be addressed with an educational intervention in the future. A survey was given to Karen women at the Karen Student Association at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) and members of the Karen Christian Revival Church in Omaha, NE. The survey inquired about personal and medical history and evaluated health knowledge pertaining to the female reproductive system and cervical cancer. The results were significant in that a majority of Karen women rated their confidence in understanding health terminology as ‘good’, but most women answered the knowledge questions incorrectly or as 'I don't know.’ Only 13.3% and 6.7% of Karen women have received a pap smear or HPV vaccine, respectively, in their lifetime which is much lower than the average rates for women living in the United States. These results demonstrate the potential discrepancy between presumed health literacy and true female reproductive health knowledge, and the room for growth available within cervical cancer screening in the Karen population. The next steps in our research project will be to provide educational materials about the female reproductive system, cervical cancer, and cervical cancer screening to the Karen population at the Karen Student Association at UNO and Karen Christian Revival Church. Afterwards, we will then re-survey the participants to evaluate the effectiveness of our educational intervention and its impact on health literacy, with an overall goal of improving health outcomes in the Karen population.