Barriers and Enablers to Accessing Medical Care for Urinary Incontinence and Prolapse in GLobal Majority Women

Plain-language summary

This project aims to explore barriers to treatment seeking for symptoms of prolapse and urinary incontinence in women from ethnic minority/global majority background. This study consists of three components, each with different methodological approaches: 1. Collecting objective data using validated questionnaires Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire (PIKQ), Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS-4) and prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse (ICIQ-UI Short Form and ICIQ-VS), age, level of education, level of deprivation (according to postcode), faith, first or preferred language spoken, sexual orientation and employment status to explore whether these are associated with barriers to treatment seeking as measured by the Barriers to Incontinence Care Seeking Questionnaire (BICS-Q) and to estimate the prevalence of urinary incontinence and prolapse in a community group of women from an ethnic minority/global majority background 2. Collecting qualitative data via semi-structured interviews with women from an ethnic minority/global majority background who have sought treatment for urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse to explore barriers they may have experienced and how these were overcome and collecting qualitative data via focus group discussions with women from an ethnic minority/global majority background who attend women's community groups 3. Zine making as a research approach is a creative, participatory method that uses the process of creating zines (small, self-published, often handmade booklets) to generate, explore, and share knowledge . Zine making blends arts-based research and participatory action research and is particularly suited for working with seldom heard communities or exploring stigmatised conditions because it gives participants creative control over how their experiences are communicated, which can be empowering, especially for individuals who are under or misrepresented in mainstream narratives . Zine making is also more accessible for individuals who do not speak English as their first or preferred language, or, have other communication barriers .

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