Roxana Lievanos

Health 309: Health Science Research Method

Methodological Literature Review
California State University, Channel Islands
Winter 2020

1
 Impact of Cervical Cancer Education Among Latina Women in the U.S

Introduction

The occurrence of cervical cancer in the U.S is highest amongst Latinas.

(Talley, C. H., 2015) As a Latina myself, I feel that it is important to bring awareness

and educate the Latina community on cervical cancer. For this methodological

literature review I will be analyzing articles to see what is the impact of education

on cervical cancer among Latina women in the U.S. The independent variable is

health education of cervical cancer. The dependent variable is Latina women in the

U.S.

Sampling

One of the articles used convenience and purposive sampling. Snowball sampling was

also used as the study stated that participants encouraged others to participate alongside

them. This study had a total of 5, 211 participants (Mcdonough, A. M, 2016). Two of the

articles I found used random sampling. In one of the studies that used random sampling

participants were randomly selected from community clinics in Los Angeles, San Jose,

and Fresno CA. This study was conducted on 973 participants (Valdez, A, 2016). The

other study that used random sampling participants were recruited at program sites

through out Arkansas, New York City, and in Western New York. More than 1,000

participants participated (Jandorf, L., 2012). The fourth article I came across used

voluntary response sample. It consisted of seven participants (Luque, J. S., 2011). This

method can be considered biased as the participants in this study may participate as a

result of having strong feeling towards the issue. The last article I came across used

purposive sampling. It sampled a total of 107 Latinas. The Latinas who participated in

2
this study were chosen as they were previously involved in the Kin Keeper(SM) cancer

prevention intervention studies. (Talley, C. H., 2015). Purposive sampling can be

considered a biased method as it can lead to selection bias.

Methodology

All the articles I came across used quantitative methods as they all used surveys,

Qualitative methods were used in two articles as they conducted focus groups and

interviews. All used pre-test post-test surveys. This is considered an experimental

approach. I find this method to be simple and easy to implement which may be a reason it

is commin. A single-group pre-/post-test design was used by one of the articles I came

across. They used this method to determine the effectiveness of the initiated program

(Mcdonough, A. M, 2016). Two articles used a randomized design study to test the

efficacy of their programs. In both articles participants were placed to one of two

conditions, intervention or the control group (Jandorf, L., 2012,Valdez, A, 2016). A

randomized design study can be useful as it reduces bias. However, this may not always

help show real treatment outcomes. This type of design study is considered to be the

simplest. Quantitative descriptive design was used for the other article I found. This was

used to determine the relationships between breast and cervical cancer literacy, age, and

comorbid conditions (Talley, C. H., 2015). The other article I found evaluated the

curriculum of a program. The curriculum was pilot tested (Luque, J. S., 2011).

Data Collection

All the articles collected either quantitative or qualitative data, or both. All articles

collected through pre-test post-test surveys. Surveys can be beneficial to a study as they

3
are cost effective, easy to provide, and can be used to collect data from a large group of

participants. Data was also collected through focus groups and interviews. One of the

articles displayed questions on a PowerPoint and collected data using an Audience

Response system (Jandorf, L., 2012). Focus groups and touch screens kiosk were used for

data collection in another article (Valdez, A, 2016). Focus groups can be time saving for

a study but much more costly than surveys and questioners. Post-training focus groups,

post-training reports from educators, written evaluations, and telephone exit interviews

were also used to collect data (Luque, J. S., 2011).

Analysis

The articles I came across used the chi-squares, Wilcoxon signed rank test, t tests,

and variance statistics to analyze data. Descriptive statistics were also used to analyze

data. One used t-tests to test changes in the outcomes between the pre and posttest. It also

used the Wilcoxon signed rank test to assess change in the outcomes (Mcdonough, A. M,

2016). Chi square tests were used to test categorical variable in another article. This same

article also used and intent to treat analysis to see the effectiveness of the intervention

(Valdez, A, 2016). Chi-square and analysis of variance statistics were by an article to

compare the quality of proportion and or means (Jandorf, L., 2012). Chi-squares may not

always be the best analytical technique as the sample size can greatly affect outcome and

misinterpret information. Qualitative analysis was used for an article as this analyzed the

focus groups, interviews, and evaluations that were conducted. It helped categorize codes

and themes (Luque, J. S., 2011). Qualitative analysis may take more time but it is very

beneficial as it allows for deeper grasp of feelings and perceptions. An article used

4
multivariate analysis of variance. This helps reduce any Type I errors (Talley, C. H.,

2015).

Conclusion

All articles showed that knowledge of cervical cancer increased after receiving

education. These articles also expressed how there are cultural barriers that affect the

perception of cervical cancer. In addition, the articles helped showed that the perception

of cervical cancer screening changed after receiving education on this topic. All articles

used pre-test post- test surveys. This form of data collecting is time and cost effective. It

also allows for various or individuals to participate. Each article used more than one

analytical technique. The most common techniques were t tests and chi squares. T- test

make it easy for data to be calculated as well as understand date. However, chi-squares

may not be the best method as it can be delicate to sample size.

5
 References
Jandorf, L., Ellison, J., Shelton, R., Thélémaque, L., Castillo, A., Mendez, E. I., …
Erwin, D. O. (2012). Esperanza y Vida: A Culturally and Linguistically Customized
Breast and Cervical Education Program for Diverse Latinas at Three Different United
States Sites. Journal of Health Communication, 17(2), 160–176. doi:
10.1080/10810730.2011.585695

Luque, J. S., Mason, M., Reyes-Garcia, C., Hinojosa, A., & Meade, C. D. (2011). Salud
es Vida: Development of a Cervical Cancer Education Curriculum for Promotora
Outreach With Latina Farmworkers in Rural Southern Georgia. American Journal of
Public Health, 101(12), 2233–2235. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2011.300324

Mcdonough, A. M., Vargas, M., Nguyen-Rodriguez, S., Garcia, M., Galvez, G., & Rios-
Ellis, B. (2016). Mujer Sana, Familia Fuerte: The Effects of a Culturally-Relevant,
Community-Based, Promotores Program to Increase Cervical Cancer Screening among
Latinas. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 27(2), 568–579. doi:
10.1353/hpu.2016.0094

Talley, C. H., & Williams, K. P. (2015). Impact of Age and Comorbidity on Cervical and
Breast Cancer Literacy of African Americans, Latina, and Arab Women. Nursing Clinics
of North America, 50(3), 545–563. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2015.05.008

Valdez, A., Napoles, A. M., Stewart, S. L., & Garza, A. (2016). A Randomized
Controlled Trial of a Cervical Cancer Education Intervention for Latinas Delivered
Through Interactive, Multimedia Kiosks. Journal of Cancer Education, 33(1), 222–230.
doi: 10.1007/s13187-016-1102-6