The CPO Piedmont has started, starting from 2017, a collaboration with the volunteer Turin association Camminare Insieme.
The primary objective of the collaboration is to raise awareness among foreign women in the prevention of cancer, increasing the proportion of regular immigrant women participating in the screening program and also providing temporary Temporary Present Women (STP) with the possibility to perform at least one test within an organized screening program.
For this purpose, an operative point has been set up at the association for the Pap-test (for women between 25-29 years) and HPV tests (for women between 30-64 years old) for the prevention and early diagnosis of cervical cancer. Tests are performed by volunteer gynecologists.
In parallel, women can do a screening mammogram for the early detection of breast cancer (every year for women between 45-49 years; every 2 years for women between 50-75 years). Mammograms are performed by the Screening Senology - Prevenzione Serena of AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino.
On average, foreign women have lower access to screening than Italian women. Linguistic, cultural and organizational barriers play an important role in limiting access to the prevention of these subgroups of the population
The collaboration between Prevenzione Serena screening program and the voluntary associations working in the area represents an important effort to reduce health inequalities and access to services as well as an opportunity to network health services and the third sector.
In the wake of this fruitful collaboration two meetings dedicated to cancer prevention will take place for the foreign population belonging to the Camminare Insieme:
- on 2 April, on the topic of the importance of early diagnosis, recommendations, benefits and risks of screening;
- April 16, dedicated to healthy lifestyles (proper nutrition, adequate physical activity and non-use of tobacco products).