Cervical cancer screening invitations in low and middle income countries: Evidence from Armenia

Armenak Antinyan, Marco Bertoni and Luca Corazzini

Social Science & Medicine, 2021, vol. 273, issue C

Abstract: Roughly 90 percent of cervical cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the lack of adequate infrastructures hampers screening, while informational, cultural, and socio-economic barriers limit participation in the few programs that do exist. We conducted a field experiment with the Armenian cervical cancer screening program to determine whether, despite these barriers, the simple, economical invitation strategies adopted in high-income countries could enhance screening take-up in LMICs. We find that letters of invitation increase screening take-up, especially when there are follow-up reminders. Different ways of framing messages appear to have no impact. Finally, women in rural areas are more likely to respond to invitation by letter, helping to narrow the urban-rural screening gap.

Keywords: Cervical cancer screening; Randomized controlled trial; Invitation letters; Reminders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D91 I12 I15 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113739

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