CAPTURE: Cancer Awareness and screening Promotion Through Utilization of community Resources and their Empowerment.

Title:

CAPTURE: Cancer Awareness and screening Promotion Through Utilization of community Resources and their Empowerment

Brief Summary:

CAPTURE is a multi-site implementation research project aimed at improving breast and cervical cancer screening uptake in India. The study will identify barriers to screening and implement theory-based educational interventions across three sectors: community-based organizations, academic institutions, and tertiary hospitals. It will be conducted over 24 months, from November 2025 to November 2027 (Inititaion based on HMSC approval obtained), led by the University of Luxembourg in collaboration with Father Muller College of Nursing and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. Ethical approvals have been obtained from all participating institutions.

The study includes two main phases. In Phase 1, barriers to screening uptake and early diagnosis will be assessed using the Barrier Assessment Questionnaire for Screening Uptake (BAQSU), developed based on integrated behavioral models including the Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Theory of Care Seeking Behavior, structured using the DOST framework. This tool will be administered to three target groups: men and women aged 30 to 60 in the community, university students aged 20 to 25, and patients diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in hospitals, to explore delay in diagnosis and treatment.

In Phase 2, sector-specific educational interventions will be implemented. In the community, educational camps will be delivered using lectures, flipcharts, and video modules led by gynecologists and public health experts. In university settings, students will receive video-based sessions followed by expert-led discussions and creative reinforcements such as music concerts. In hospitals, nurses will deliver short one-on-one awareness sessions using flipcharts for women visiting outpatient departments. Each session will be followed by the distribution of informational handouts with referral information to free screening centers. Screening behavior will be followed up at 3 and 6 months post-intervention.

The primary objective is to assess the demographic, psychosocial, and system-related barriers to cancer screening across the three sectors, and to develop and evaluate tailored educational interventions targeting these barriers. Secondary objectives include measuring behavior change and motivation for screening at follow-up and refining tools such as the BAQSU and educational content based on participant and implementer feedback.

It is expected that 60 percent of intervention participants will show improved knowledge and attitudes post-intervention, and that 50 percent of eligible or referred women will undergo screening within 3 to 6 months. The study will not collect any clinical samples. Only self-reported knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions will be assessed. No personal identifying data will be collected, and informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Study sites will be finalized only after obtaining permission from local authorities. All data will be anonymized. The project has obtained all necessary ethical approvals, and formal collaborations have been signed between the institutions involved.