Increasing cancer screening rates for South Asian communities in Peel

This report collects the findings from the Peel Cancer Screening Study, a partnership between the Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Cancer Care Ontario, Peel Public Health, Punjabi Community Health Services and a range of community members, organizations and health providers.

The goal of the Peel Cancer Screening Study was to identify barriers to breast, cervical and colorectal cancer for South Asian* communities in the Peel Region of Ontario. The report includes practical information for community leaders, community organizations and groups working to reduce these barriers.

Download the report here

Read the press release here

See a summary of some key findings in this Research Flash article.

To learn more the Peel Cancer Screening Study, please contact Dr. Aisha Lofters at aisha.lofters@utoronto.ca at or Dr. Rebecca Lobb at lobb@wustl.edu.

Full text of related journal articles:

Lobb R, Pinto AD, Lofters A. Using concept mapping in the knowledge-to-action process to compare stakeholder opinions on barriers to use of cancer screening among South Asians. Implement Sci. 2013;8:37.

Using geographic methods to inform cancer screening interventions for South Asians in Ontario, Canada. Lofters A, Gozdyra P, Lobb R. Using geographic methods to inform cancer screening interventions for South Asians in Ontario, Canada. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:395.

* For the purposes of our study, we broadly defined South Asians as people with Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan ancestry, and included people born in Canada and people who have immigrated to Canada. However, we acknowledge that South Asian communities are incredibly diverse on many levels including linguistic preferences, religious beliefs and socioeconomic status.