{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T17:57:51Z","timestamp":1791482271916,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791417600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Cancer Institute of the National Institute of Health","award":["R01CA258683"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01CA258683"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cervical cancer is a major public health problem, but it can be prevented through screening and treatment of precancerous lesions. The aim of this study was to assess the association between cervical cancer-related stigma and prior cervical cancer screening uptake among women in the Dakar and K\u00e9dougou regions of Senegal. A quantitative descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in the Dakar and K\u00e9dougou regions. The study population consisted of women aged 25\u201369. Sampling was based on a two-stage cluster sampling methodology. Past participation in screening was self-reported, and an index of stigma was developed to quantify the level of cervical cancer related stigma in the study population. The items used to develop this index covered several domains that have been shown to be powerful predictors of stigma. Data were analyzed with R 4.5.0 software. Logistic regression was performed (5% alpha). A total of 287 women had data on their screening status, with only 15.7% reporting having undergone one or more screenings in the past. The mean age of participants was 36.23, and the majority (68.6%) were married and living in monogamous households. After adjustment for age, marital status and education level, higher stigma scores were associated with lower odds of screening (OR=0.58, 95% CI 0.38-0.83, p\u2009=\u20090.006). Cervical cancer stigma was significantly associated with lower odds of screening uptake. A better understanding of this barrier will enable us to better adapt strategies to combat this disease. Setting up a navigation program for this screening could help improve access to this service by removing the stigma barrier and any other major obstacle to screening. Our stigma index provides a comprehensive assessment of stigma and represents a novel tool that can be adapted for future research, including the evaluation of stigma reduction following implementation of our patient navigation intervention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0006187","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T17:40:55Z","timestamp":1791481255000},"page":"e0006187","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impact of cervical cancer\u2013related stigma on screening uptake in Dakar and Kedougou, Senegal: A context-specific stigma index"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-7636-4540","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Fatou Bintou","family":"Seck","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saria","family":"Awadalla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatoumata Binetou","family":"Diongue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ibrahima","family":"Ndiaye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Omar","family":"Gassama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristide Le Dantec Teaching Hospitals"]},{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Center for Training in Women\u2019s Health"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ndeye Mbombe","family":"Dieng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Office of Cancer Prevention and Control, Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health and Social Action","place":["Dakar, Senegal"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adja Maguette","family":"Diaw","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]},{"name":"Office of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research, Division of Maternal and Child Health, Ministry of Health and Social Action","place":["Dakar, Senegal"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hilaire","family":"Sarr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7913-683X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Victoria","family":"Winslow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["School of Public Health, Epidemiology Division"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nd\u00e8ye Mar\u00e8me","family":"Sougou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Abboud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Assane","family":"Sall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexis Claire","family":"Klima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["College of Applied Health Sciences"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aida","family":"Fall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aida","family":"Barro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and Development"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Blessings","family":"Chisunkha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Department of Biomedical & Health Information Sciences, College of Applied Health Sciences"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmadou Babana","family":"El Alaoui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["College of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aliath","family":"Salami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Department of Family and Community Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4194-8725","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jon Andrew","family":"Dykens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Department of Family and Community Medicine"]},{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Center for Global Health at the College of Medicine"]},{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Cancer Center"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Caryn Elizabeth","family":"Peterson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health"]},{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Center for Global Health at the College of Medicine"]},{"name":"University of Illinois Chicago","place":["Chicago, Illinois, United States of America"],"department":["Cancer Center"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8797-6887","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Adama","family":"Faye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheikh Anta Diop University","place":["Dakar, Senegal"],"department":["Institute of Health and 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