https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/810 2024-09-04t13:29:27z https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/812 teaching tools to engage anishinaabek first nations women in cervical cancer screening: report of an educational workshop zehbe, ingeborg; wood, brianne; wakewich, pamela; maar, marion; escott, nicholas; jumah, naana; little, julian objective: to explore educational strategies for engaging first nations women in canada to attend cervical cancer screening. design: within a participatory action research framework, semi-structured interviews with health-care providers in first nations communities revealed that education about the value of screening is perceived as being a key factor to promote cervical cancer screening. setting: to obtain feedback from workshop informants, a 1-day educational workshop was held to identify appropriate educational intervention strategies, which would be applied in a forthcoming randomised controlled cervical screening trial. methods: common discussion and discussion groups, which were facilitated by a first nations workshop moderator and a note taker. results: this workshop helped to strengthen the ethical space dialogue with the first nations communities with whom the study team had established research partnerships. the workshop atmosphere was relaxed and the invited informants decided that an educational health promotion event for community women needed to be held prior to inviting them to the cervical screening trial. such an event would provide an opportunity to communicate the importance of attending regular cervical screening allowing women to make informed decisions about screening participation. complementary promotional items, including an eye-catching pamphlet and storytelling, were also suggested. conclusion: the key messages from the events and promotional items can help to de-stigmatise women who develop a type of cancer that is caused by a sexually transmitted virus that affects both men and women. developing and implementing positive health education that respectfully depicts female bodies, sexuality and health behaviours through a first nations lens is strongly warranted. this is the post-print version of the paper that was accepted for publication in health education journal. the publisher's version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0017896915580446 2016-01-01t00:00:00z https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/811 colonial legacy and the experience of first nations women in cervical cancer screening: a canadian multi-community study zehbe, ingeborg; wakewich, pamela; wood, brianne; davey, crystal; laframbroise, ashlie regular papanicolaou (pap) screening has dramatically reduced cervical cancer incidence in canada since the 1950s. however, indigenous women’s rates of cervical cancer remain disproportionately high, a factor which is not acknowledged in national media or in educational materials reporting canada’s new cervical cancer screening guidelines. here, we present findings from a cervical cancer screening initiative in northwestern ontario. based on participatory action research, we worked with 10 first nations communities in the robinson superior treaty area to increase awareness of cervical cancer risk, develop culturally sensitive tools for screening and education and test the efficacy of human papillomavirus (hpv) self-sampling as an alternative to pap cytology. we conducted 16 interviews with health care professionals and 9 focus groups with 69 women from the communities. a central theme for both health care providers (hcps) and community members was the colonial legacy and its influence on women’s experiences of cervical cancer screening. this was evidenced by a strong sense of body shyness, including shame related to sexuality and sexually transmitted infections, concerns about confidentiality in clinical encounters and distrust or caution around hcps. reaffirming women’s traditional caregiving and educational roles, enhancing mother and daughter communication, improving cultural sensitivity in health care and education and adoption of hpv self-sampling to increase women’s privacy and control of the cervical cancer screening experience were endorsed. we argue that education and screening initiatives must reflect the cultural preferences of indigenous women, empowering them to take control of their experiences of health and body in cervical cancer screening. this is an accepted manuscript of an article published by taylor & francis in critical public health on july 22, 2015, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2015.1067671 2015-01-01t00:00:00z