To be effective, population-based cervical cancer prevention programs must be tailored to meet the needs of the target population. One important factor in cervical cancer screening may include male involvement. To iteratively improve a screening program employing self-collected vaginal swabs for human-papillomavirus (HPV) testing in western Kenya, we examined the role of male partners and community leaders in decision-making and accessing screening services. We carried out 604 semi-structured, in-depth interviews (IDIs) with women and community health volunteers who took part in a multiphase trial of implementation strategies for HPV-based cervical cancer screening. IDIs were coded and themes related to decision-making, screening and treatment barriers, and influence of male partners and community leaders were identified and analyzed. Women experienced both support and opposition from their male partners. Partner support took the form of financial support for transportation and emotional support and encouragement, while opposition ranged from anticipated negative reactions to lack of permission, isolation, and abandonment. Though most women described their own partners as supportive, many felt that other male partners would not be supportive. Most participants believed that increased HPV and cervical cancer knowledge would increase partner support. Women reported a general acceptance of involvement of community leaders in education and screening campaigns, in a setting where such leaders may hold influence over men in the community. There was a clear interest in involving male partners in the cervical cancer prevention process, specifically in increasing knowledge and awareness. Future research should explore the feasibility and effectiveness of engaging male partners in cervical cancer screening and prevention programs.

中文翻译：

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肯尼亚西部基于人类乳头瘤病毒的宫颈癌筛查计划中男性参与的女性观点

为了有效，必须制定基于人群的宫颈癌预防计划，以满足目标人群的需求。宫颈癌筛查的一个重要因素可能包括男性受累。为了迭代地改善在肯尼亚西部使用自行收集的阴道拭子进行人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）测试的筛查程序，我们研究了男性伴侣和社区领导者在决策和获得筛查服务中的作用。我们对参与基于HPV子宫颈癌筛查的实施策略的多阶段试验的妇女和社区卫生志愿者进行了604次半结构化，深度访谈（IDI）。对IDI进行编码，并确定和分析与决策，筛查和治疗障碍以及男性伴侣和社区领导者的影响有关的主题。妇女得到了男性伴侣的支持和反对。合作伙伴的支持采取了对交通的财务支持，情感支持和鼓励的形式，而反对的范围则从预期的负面反应到缺乏许可，孤立和遗弃。尽管大多数妇女都将自己的伴侣描述为支持者，但许多人还是认为其他男性伴侣不会提供支持。大多数参与者认为，增加HPV和宫颈癌知识将增加伴侣的支持。妇女报告普遍接受社区领导人参与教育和筛查运动，在这种情况下，此类领导人可能会对社区中的男子产生影响。男性伴侣参与宫颈癌的预防过程显然引起了人们的兴趣，特别是在增加知识和认识方面。未来的研究应探讨让男性伴侣参与宫颈癌筛查和预防计划的可行性和有效性。