Aim
The overall aim of the Sistas Shawl Project was to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women screening in the BreastScreen Queensland Brisbane Northside catchment.
It also aimed to address cultural barriers to breast screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Outcomes
Working collaboratively with the Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Team, the Sistas Shawl Project utilised multiple unique strategies to meet our aims.
The project responded to the cultural barriers of feeling embarrassed or shame during screening, by providing women with an incentive gift of a beautiful cultural shawl to provide modesty and wear during the breast screen.
The project demonstrated its effectiveness and outcomes through the measurable achievements of an increased number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women having their breast screen (particularly first-time screeners) at BSQ Brisbane Northside and the high levels of acceptability indicated by qualitative evaluations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. It now continues as a collaborative strategy at the Brisbane Northside Service.
Background
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have lower breast screening participation than the general population and face additional barriers. Inequities in screening participation contribute to the inequities in cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and must be addressed. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's participation in the BreastScreen Queensland Program in the Brisbane Northside Service is lower (48.2%) than that of the general population (50.0%) (2021-22 participation rates).
The project built upon the learnings of the successful Cultural Shawl Project implemented at BreastScreen Queensland's (BSQ) Townsville Service. It was localised to the Brisbane Northside area with a collaboration between the BreastScreen Queensland Brisbane Northside Service and the Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Team and was launched on 10 October 2022. The Project was funded by the Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Team as a health equity initiative.
