UK Cervical Cancer Prevention Project Included in National Cancer Institute Database

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 26, 2015) — A program developed by researchers in the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information was recently highlighted on the National Cancer Institute’s Research-tested Intervention Programs (RTIP) database. 

The program, “1-2-3 Pap: Easy Steps to Prevent Cervical Cancer,” is the first communication study promoting completion of the Human Papillomavirus vaccine series to receive approval as an RTIP. The program was created and conducted in the UK Prevention Research Center (PRC), also known as the Rural Cancer Prevention Center.

In an effort to increase rates of HPV vaccination among young adult women in rural Appalachian Kentucky, a region with the state’s highest rates for cervical cancer, the UK PRC developed a 13-minute educational video encouraging young women to complete the vaccination series. Eighteen local health departments serving 41 counties in Kentucky have adopted the program. Due to its success, the PRC has worked with other partners to adapt the program for other underserved areas with high rates of cervical cancer, including West Virginia and North Carolina. 

“We are honored to be a part of RTIPS,” Robin Vanderpool, assistant professor of health behavior in the College of Public Health, said. “We hope our intervention will be useful to others addressing HPV vaccination and cancer prevention in their local communities.”

The research team responsible for the project includes Richard Crosby, professor of health behavior in the College of Public Health; Robin Vanderpool, associate professor of health behavior in the College of Public Health; Elisia Cohen, chair and associate professor of communication in the College of Communication and Information; Margaret McGladrey, assistant dean for Research in the College of Public Health; and Maudella Jones, Wallace Bates, Tom Collins and Lindsay Stradtman,  of the RCPC. The RCPC receives its funding from a five-year cooperative agreement through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Adams, elizabethadams@uky.edu