A rapid review of barriers and facilitators to cancer screening uptake in under-served populations

This rapid review was conducted as part of the Evidence Service’s collaboration with Heath and Care Research Wales

Next update: Update not planned

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Introduction

Screening programmes for bowel, breast and cervical cancer are provided by the NHS. These screening programmes were paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, which means a large amount of people had a delay in their appointments. 

This review looked at what reasons may or may not stop people, particularly those from underserved groups (for example more deprived or ethnic minority populations), from attending screening appointments and if there was any difference in the reasons given compared to before the pandemic.

Main points

How up to date is this evidence?

We conducted searches in May 2022 and identified relevant evidence from 2017 to 2022.

What we found

We found ten relevant studies. Five studies took place during and five before the pandemic. None of the studies looked at underserved populations on their own.

Reasons people may not attend screening appointments included: fear; embarrassment; stigma; lack of education and support; language and cultural barriers and appointment times. Reasons people may attend screening appointments included: hearing people’s stories of screening and cancer; trust and language support.

What this means

The studies did not show any difference from before or during the pandemic, in the reasons why underserved populations may or may not attend screening appointments.  It is not clear if this is because there is no difference in people’s reasons, or just because there is not enough research in this area.

Technical information

Our Rapid Reviews use a variation of the systematic review approach, abbreviating or omitting some components to generate the evidence to inform stakeholders promptly whilst maintaining attention to bias. The aim of this rapid review is to identify the effectiveness of interventions to support mental and emotional health and wellbeing in young people who are NEET.

Glossary

Underserved groups: populations that face systemic barriers to accessing essential services, resources, and opportunities, resulting in disparities in health, education, and economic well-being.

Summary author

Alex Strong