Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Cervical cancer is one of the most treatable cancers and can, in many case, be prevented by early vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Even so, more than 12,000 women in the United States are still diagnosed with the disease each year. And like many cancers, cervical cancer has a disproportionate impact on minority communities, particularly Black and Latina Americans.

It is up to those of us working in health promotion to ensure that the proven effective methods of preventing cervical cancer through screening and vaccination are used as widely as possible. That’s why the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research has a number of projects and programs working with partners throughout Texas and beyond to encourage early HPV vaccination and routine screenings.

All For Them

All for Them, an initiative run by UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, is a multilevel, multicomponent approach to increase HPV vaccination uptake among Texas youth. One strategy that All for Them implements is free mobile vaccination clinics at middle and high schools in multiple districts across the state. At the clinics, which are pre-consented so parents do not have to attend if they are busy, students can obtain all childhood and adolescent vaccines, including the HPV vaccine, which protects against six types of cancer.

Since 2017, 7,337 youth have received at least one vaccine during the 309 clinics that the All for Them team has coordinated and implemented. Of those students, 5,072 received the HPV vaccine. Most of the students who did not receive the HPV vaccine were already up to date on the series, not yet due for the next dose at the time of the clinic, or not eligible for the vaccine.

Education is also a fundamental part of All for Them’s mission to help families protect their students’ health both now and in the future. The team estimates that it has distributed more than 185,000 HPV vaccine fact sheets to parents and students to date. Additionally, by attending 280 health fairs, back-to-school events, information sessions, and other gatherings, the All for Them team has directly engaged with more than 16,500 parents and students.

All for Them is funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Learn more about All for Them at AllForThemVaccines.com. Follow the project on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

•   The recommended three-dose schedule is 0, 1–2 and 6 months.

CHPPR Director Dr. Maria E. Fernández and her research team are currently working with healthcare clinics across Texas to test SEMM-DIA as part of the UTHealth Houston CDC-funded Prevention Research Center (PRC) Core Research Project.

Healthcare clinics work every day to improve breast and cervical cancer screening rates among their patient populations; your work is vital. During National Immunization Month and every day, it is our sincere hope that health systems recognize the value in our PRC resources, such as SEMM-DIA. The ongoing testing of SEMM-DIA will provide healthcare clinics with the skills and resources necessary to reach your patients and improve breast and cervical cancer screening & HPV vaccination rates in your clinic systems. 

If you and your clinic's leadership team would like to receive updates on SEMM-DIA, please get in touch with: Project Coordinator, Angelita Alaniz, MPH ([email protected]). CHPPR would like to sincerely thank you and your health system for providing breast and cervical cancer screening & HPV vaccination services to women in Texas.

To learn more about recommendations for catch-up HPV vaccinations, click here.