Cancer Prevention in Indigenous Communities from Guatemala: A Needs Assessment Study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Guatemala lacks cancer prevention strategies and has low screening rates. OBJECTIVE: To assess the history of chronic conditions, risk factors, and cancer screening uptake among three Indigenous populations of Southwestern Guatemala. METHODS: We conducted a health needs assessment. RESULTS: The assessment was completed by 247 adults. Median age was 40 years old (IR 28-59). Most participants were female (94.3%), of Mayan descent (95.8%), and did not have a primary health care provider (84.2%). Most have never been screened for colorectal (men=100.0%; women=98.8%), prostate (75.0%), breast (90.9%), or cervical (76.9%) cancer, and all have severe tooth decay. However, most participants reported healthy behaviors including being physically active (women=59.7%; men=92.9%), being nonsmokers (women=99.6%; men=78.6%), and not consuming alcohol (women=82.3%; men=46.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Although most participants reported healthy behaviors, there is a remarkable lack of access to cancer screening. An increase in cancer incidence is expected unless cancer prevention efforts are undertaken.