Better late than never: reflections on the delayed prioritization of cervical cancer in international health.
Cervical cancer has disproportionately affected the world's most vulnerable women for generations, yet only recently has the disease become an international health priority. Using ethnographic evidence from a study in Iquitos, Peru, I identify three factors that have contributed to a historic blind spot regarding cervical cancer in underdeveloped regions: (a) transition theories predicting the emergence of cancer with increasing societal development, (b) chronic vs. infectious disease categories that miss the significance of infectious-associated cancers, and (c) dependence on epidemiologic statistics from underdeveloped regions for determining health care priorities. Implications for theory and education are discussed.
Hunter
Jennifer L
JL
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing, 220 Holmes Street, 64108-2676, USA. hunterj@umkc.edu
D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D033262:Narration; D010568:Peru; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000523:psychology; D016387:Women's Health