M.S. Ghant

Beyond the physical: A qualitative assessment of the burden of symptomatic uterine fibroids on women's emotional and psychosocial health☆

OBJECTIVE To qualitatively assess the burden of uterine fibroids on womens emotional health. METHODS Sixty women (n = 60) with symptomatic uterine fibroids were recruited from an urban academic medical center and community-based organizations. Women completed qualitative, semi-structured interviews and demographic surveys. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using a grounded theory approach, three coders independently identified major themes and subthemes that emerged from the interviews. RESULTS The kappa among coders was 0.94. The mean age of participants was 43.0 ± 6.8. 61.7% of participants self-identified as African-American, 25.0% as Caucasian, 8.3% as Hispanic and 5.0% as Asian. Most participants exhibited a significant emotional response to their fibroids, including fear, anxiety, anger, and depression. Half of the women felt helpless and believed that they had no control over their fibroids. Many women possessed a negative self-image and cited concern over appearing less attractive, which led to difficulties becoming intimate. Several women felt that they lacked substantial support to help them deal with these issues. CONCLUSION In addition to the known high prevalence and severe physical impact of uterine fibroids, there is a significant psychological impact on women. Many women lack support to help them deal with these issues and very few seek help from a mental health professional. There is an opportunity and a need for the mental health community to address the concerns in this population, in order to improve psychological health and quality of life in patients living with this chronic condition.

Barriers to prevention: knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccinations among African American women

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge of the human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination in African American women (AAW). STUDY DESIGN This study was a quantitative cross-sectional survey of English-speaking, AAW, 18-70 years old who were recruited from a community fair in Chicago, IL. Surveys were distributed to a convenience sample to assess knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer, and the HPV vaccine. Cumulative knowledge scores were calculated for each participant, and analysis was performed to identify factors that were associated with adequate knowledge scores. RESULTS Three hundred twenty-two surveys were distributed; 242 surveys were collected, and 215 surveys met inclusion criteria. Mean knowledge score was 12.3 ± 4.2 (mean ± SD) of a maximum score of 28 (range, 3-23); 73% of participants scored <65% on the knowledge portion of the survey. Education level (P = .007), household income (P = .010), and having a child who had been offered the HPV vaccine (P = .041) were associated with adequate (≥65% accuracy) knowledge scores. CONCLUSION Knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination was low in this urban African American adult female population. Targeted educational health programs are needed to increase awareness among these women who have the highest rate of cervical cancer mortality in the United States. Such patient educational programs must be developed by physicians and should address the cultural and literacy needs of this particular group of women. In addition, AAW exert influence on the health of their communities and are integral in health-related decision-making; thus, educating them through their health care providers will have far ranging impact.

Prevalence and knowledge of heavy menstrual bleeding among African American women.

To assess self‐reported prevalence, knowledge, and health literacy regarding heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) among African American women.