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Dau, Hallie Pauline

University of British Columbia

Cervical cancer, despite being a preventable disease, is the leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality among women in low- and middle-income countries. While much is known about the clinical and physical impacts of this disease, there is limited knowledge of the social and economic impacts, particularly among children. The goal of this dissertation is to provide an understanding of the social and economic impacts of cervical cancer on women and their children in Uganda. A systematic review was completed to provide insight into the current literature. Following, a cross-sectional study was conducted from September 19, 2022 to January 17, 2023 at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala and Jinja Regional Referral Hospital. Study participants completed a 161-question survey which included questions about how their cervical cancer diagnosis impacted their economic situation, time away from their homes, and the wellbeing of their children. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all analyses. In all, 352 women completed the survey. Women reported that their cervical cancer diagnosis was an economic burden with 93% of women reporting that they paid out-of-pocket for at least one item related to their treatment. Women of a lower socio-economic status were more likely to borrow money to pay for their care. Women traveled an average of 3.6 hours to reach the clinic and 21% reported that they would spend the night before returning home. Moreover, 16% indicated that their child accompanied them to the clinic because they could not secure childcare. Daughters were commonly reported as caregivers for their mothers. Finally, 8% of women with children reported that their child missed school to care for them. The findings from this dissertation demonstrate that cervical cancer has a social and economic impact on women and their children in Uganda. It is recommended that policymakers consider expanding access to cervical cancer treatment sites, recognize the double burden of cervical cancer on daughters, and invest in cervical cancer screening and prevention programs. Future research should expand this analysis to other regions with high rates of cervical cancer in order to better understand the global burden of this preventable disease.

Text

2024-05-16

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88328

Population and Public Health

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/