Rural women's preferences for cervical cancer screening via HPV self-sampling: a discrete choice experiment study in chidamoyo, Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe

Background: Cervical cancer screening using HPV self-sampling presents a valuable opportunity to enhance access for underserved and never-screened women in Zimbabwe. However, to ensure the successful implementation of this innovative approach, it is crucial to understand the preferences of key stakeholders, particularly women, with regard to the various components of an HPV self-sampling intervention.

Objective: This study aimed to elicit rural women's preferences for HPV self-sampling.

Study design: A DCE questionnaire was administered to 215 women in Chidamoyo, Hurungwe Rural District. Women were asked to choose between two hypothetical screening choices defined by education, location of services, supervision of self-sampling, comfort of sampling device, results notification and care after HPV results. Data were analysed using fixed and mixed logistic regression models.

Results: Results indicated that the comfort of the sampling device had the most significant impact on women's preferences for HPV self-sampling. Women prioritised facility-based self-sampling, female-supervised self-sampling, and face-to-face education on cervical cancer and screening methods. The methods of results notification and care after HPV results did not significantly impact women's choices. The mixed effects results showed preference heterogeneity in some of the attributes. Interaction analyses suggested that preferences were largely homogenous across the following subgroups: never-screened, previously screened, young and older women. The stratified analysis also showed that preferences were consistent among the four subgroups.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of face-to-face education, comfortable and user-friendly sampling devices, female health worker supervision and health facility-based self-sampling for cervical cancer screening via HPV self-sampling. These insights could guide the design of patient-centric interventions to ensure high uptake and increased screening coverage.