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Migrant women face difficulties interacting with the healthcare system of their new country. Migrant women often ignore issues of sexual health not because they avoid broaching the issue with healthcare providers but more because they ignore the necessary information about sexual issues including cervical cancer screening. Community programs that include peer education, community access and self-sampling may offer flexibility necessary for high acceptance of cervical cancer screening. Including vaccination in the intervention might be more difficult to explain given the sensitivity of an issue such as protecting themselves against a sexually transmitted disorder that might be perceived as a sign of promiscuity in certain cultures.
The poorer general health and lower average life expectancy of Indigenous peoples has already been documented. IARC has published comparison of cancer incidence rates in Indigenous populations relative to their non-Indigenous counterparts in high-income countries. Given the global increases in cancer incidence over the next decades predicted by IARC, understanding the magnitude and profile of cancer among Indigenous peoples provides necessary evidence in developing and implementing targeted cancer control policies to reduce the burden in these communities worldwide. Combining peer education, community access and self-sampling may offer flexibility necessary for high acceptance of cervical cancer screening. Adding HPV vaccination to screening might also be a sensitive issue in women with stable partners. First nations’ and Inuits’ chronic distrust of modern medicine and research might mandate efforts to include issues of cultural sensitivity in the program.