Abstract 58: Acceptability of an mHealth-Based Strategy to Improve Attendance at Cervical Cancer Screening in Low- Resource Settings

Abstract Purpose: There is a need for innovative evidence-based strategies facilitating access to cervical cancer screening (CCS) in low-resource settings. Research on the use of mobile health (mHealth) for recruitment to improve CCS accessibility is limited. The study aim was to explore the acceptability and willingness to receive text messages about future CCS availability in a low-resource setting. Methods: ASPIRE Mayuge (2019–2021) was a two armed cluster randomized trial conducted in 31 villages in the rural Mayuge district of Uganda, that compared the effectiveness of two recruitment implementation strategies offering self-collection for CCS (door-to-door vs community health days). Women aged 25–49 with no history of hysterectomy or treatment for cervical cancer (CC) or precancer were recruited. Both arms were implemented via Village Health Teams (VHTs). VHTs administered a baseline survey that included questions on mHealth. Differences were determined using Fisher’s exact tests and p values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 2,050 women included in this analysis, 95.2% reported interest in receiving a text message with information on when CCS would be available at the health centre. 91.3% of women reported having access to a phone, with 82.1% of them owning their own phone. Women with access to a phone were more likely to report interest in receiving a text (94.4% willing vs 60.9% unwilling; p<0.0001). Those who owned their own phone were also more likely to be willing to receive a text (83.1% willing vs 51.8% unwilling, p<0.0001). There was high prior CC knowledge (91.7%) and health centre visit history (81.2%) among those who reported interest in receiving a text. Conclusion: These findings show that women were highly willing to receive a text about future CCS availability. Those with phone access and phone ownership were more likely to respond favorably to receiving texts. High phone access and acceptability demonstrated in this rural setting indicates potential for implementation and scalability of mHealth strategies to improve CCS attendance in low-resource contexts. Further research into the viability of these methods in various settings is required before integration into CCS programs. Citation Format: Ashwini Prabhakaran, Smritee Dabee, Candice Ruck, Nadia Mithani, Anna Gottschlich, Priscilla Naguti, Laurie W. Smith, Carolyn Nakisige, Gina S. Ogilvie. Acceptability of an mHealth-Based Strategy to Improve Attendance at Cervical Cancer Screening in Low- Resource Settings [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 13th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; 2025 Sep 16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 58.

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