"The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease that
infects millions of people worldwide. According to the Center for Disease and
Control (CDC), 79 million Americans are infected with HPV (2019). In most
cases, HPV will go away on its own. However, if HPV does not clear it up, it is
possible to progress into cervical cancer. HPV is most commonly known as the
pre-cancerous causative agent of cervical cancer. The National Cervical Cancer
Coalition estimated that more than 13,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical
cancer and that approximately 4,000 women will die (NCCC, 2019). Disturbingly,
most of the African American women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer die
(Strohl et al., 2015). Importantly, African American women continue to have the
highest mortality rate, “despite having one of the highest Papanicolaou test
participation rates compared with women of other races and ethnicities” (Strohl
et al., 2015). Therefore, the overarching goal of this study is to bring
awareness to the racial and health disparities that systematically prevent and
even prohibit African American women from receiving adequate preventative care
for
HPV and cervical cancer. The qualitative interviewing research method will be
used to collect data from this project. Semi-structured interviews will be used
to gather focused and contextual data from the personal experiences of the
participants. Participants in this study will include fifteen, 25-60 aged
African American women. The anonymous women participating in this study will be
from varied locations. The anticipated findings from this study will show the
barriers that prohibit black women from seeking and accessing adequate
healthcare services."
Keywords: Sex Education, African American Women, Health
Communication, Interviews, & HPV
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