Evaluation of a Cervical Cancer Control Intervention Using Lay Health Workers for Vietnamese American Women

Objectives. We conducted a trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a cervical cancer control intervention for Vietnamese American women that used lay health workers. Methods. The study group included 234 women who had not received a Papanicolaou (Pap) test in the last 3 years. Experimental group participants received a lay health worker home visit. Our trial endpoint was Pap test receipt within 6 months of randomization. Pap testing completion was ascertained through women's self-reports and medical record reviews. We examined intervention effects among women who had ever received a Pap test (prior to randomization) and women who had never received a Pap test. Results. Three quarters of the women in the experimental group completed a home visit. Ever-screened experimental group women were significantly more likely to report Pap testing (P <.02) and to have records verifying Pap testing (P <.04) than were ever-screened control group women. There were no significant differences between the trial arms for women who had never been screened. Conclusions. Our findings indicate that lay health worker based interventions for Vietnamese American women are feasible to implement and can increase levels of Pap testing use among ever-screened women but not among never-screened women. (Am J Public Health. 2010;100:1924-1929. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.190348)