Community opinion leaders and traditional healers’ perceptions and experiences on the need for breast and cervical cancer screening in Nigeria: A qualitative study.

Abstract

e23227 Background: Early Breast Cancer (BC) and Cervical Cancer (CC) screening have proven to be important secondary prevention strategies in reducing mortalities and morbidities due to BC and CC. However, there are nuanced perceptions in the community on the need for BC and CC screening resulting in suboptimal uptake in Nigeria. This study explores the experiences and perceptions of opinion leaders and traditional healers to understand factors that shape the intention to screen for BC and CC. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using in-depth semi structured interviews to understand the factors that influence the barriers to early diagnosis of BC and CC in two communities. Three each of the following groups- community leaders, religious leaders, women influencers, policy makers and traditional healers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where consented and interviewed from July to September 2024. Data were analysed inductively to identify the most prevalent themes and coded using Dedoose software. Results: From the findings, participants mentioned a range of perceptions influencing attitudes toward screening. Many participants emphasized the importance of community-based awareness. While women expressed a preference for hospital-based BC and CC screening, they shared concerns about affordability, long waiting times, and poor attitude from some medical personnel. Traditional healers mentioned a preference for herbal treatments over medical care, with some community members fearing that medical tools for screening could cause cancer. Religious leaders and community heads were actively involved in promoting health education, though they noted that stigma, privacy concerns, and lack of accessible and affordable services hindered participation. Conclusions: The perceptions of community opinion leaders and traditional healers shows significant barriers to BC and CC screening, including mistrust of medical institutions, lack of awareness, cultural beliefs, and logistical challenges. These findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive health interventions, increased accessibility, and community-driven initiatives to improve screening uptake and reduce cancer-related mortality in Nigeria.