Through interviews and surveys conducted by trained laywomen, the community group Patnè en Aksyon, led by Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of epidemiology and public health and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher, discovered that cervical cancer screening services are underutilized in Miami’s Little Haiti community.

Only 44 percent of women in Little Haiti who are over the age of 18 report that they have had a Pap smear, compared with 84 percent of other blacks and 84 percent of whites nationally.

Kobetz chose to conduct her studies on cancer in Little Haiti using community-based participatory research. The method engages community members in all stages of research, from determining what will be studied to interpreting the findings.

Patnè en Aksyon, which means “Partners in Action” in Haitian Creole, is composed of members of the Haitian community, UM researchers, and representatives from organizations, including the Haitian American Nurses Association and the Haitian American Association Against Cancer in Miami. They work under the maxim, “Men Anpil Chay pa Lou”— “Many Hands Make the Load Lighter.”

In addition to baseline statistics on cancer screenings, the group also found that barriers preventing Haitian women from obtaining screenings include a concern for modesty and the Haitian conceptualization of health and wellness, which views medicine as a last resort and cancer as incurable.

Patnè en Aksyon is working on tailoring messages to fit within the existing Haitian belief system and engaging traditional healers in cancer prevention and control efforts. “There is so much to be done, and we are excited by the possibilities,” says Kobetz.