Introduction: Breast cancer remains the most common cancer for Australian women, with rising incidence partly due to increasing modifiable factors including obesity, alcohol and physical inactivity. Primary prevention of cancer by addressing potentially modifiable risk factors has recently been identified by the NSW Cancer Institute as a priority area. The BreastScreen setting offers an untapped opportunity to motivate health behaviour change through targeted risk communication.
Objectives: This study is exploring the feasibility and impact of delivering brief, tailored breast cancer risk reduction advice within BreastScreen services, with referral to support services where appropriate.
Methods: One-on-one semi-structured interviews, informed by an interview guide, are underway with BreastScreen in NSW., with a target sample size of 50. Thematic analysis will be conducted to identify barriers and facilitators to risk communication, education delivery, and how brief interventions can be integrated into routine screening practice.
Results: To date, n=5 interviews with BreastScreen clients have been conducted, with BreastScreen staff interviews concurrently underway. Early results indicate the delivery of clear information about weight, alcohol, and physical inactivity risks, is viewed as acceptable. Findings to date also indicate simple, structured interventions that use motivational messaging, and referral to support services may be feasible. The importance of interventions that empower without stigma, was highlighted as being important.
Conclusion: Findings to date demonstrate support for integrating risk reduction interventions within BreastScreen programs. This approach leverages screening attendance as a timely catalyst for health-promoting action, supporting women to address modifiable breast cancer risks. These data will be used to inform policy on delivery of cancer prevention initiatives in BreastScreen NSW services and will inform co-design of pilot interventions that can be scaled for national implementation. This approach has potential to reduce population breast cancer risk and improve incidence rates among Australian women.

Abstract
Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread public health concern that disproportionately affects women of reproductive age, particularly during pregnancy. Prenatal IPV (P-IPV) is associated with adverse maternal and infant health outcomes, including poor breastfeeding practices. In Ethiopia, despite the high prevalence of P-IPV, its impact on breastfeeding outcomes remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between P-IPV and breastfeeding indicators in Ethiopia.
Methods: Data from the Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) Ethiopia, a nationally representative survey conducted between November 2021 and October 2022, were used. A total weighted sample of 1, 610 postpartum mother-child pairs was included. Data collected at baseline (during enrolment) and six weeks postpartum were used for this analysis. We fitted multilevel binary logistic regression models to estimate the effects of any P-IPV, as well as physical and sexual P-IPV separately, on early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), accounting for the hierarchical structure of the data. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were calculated to examine the associations and two-sided p-values (<0.05) were used to determine statistical significance.
Results: The prevalence of P-IPV among mothers was 10.2%, with 6.9% reporting sexual P-IPV and 4.4% reporting physical P-IPV. Mothers exposed to any form of P-IPV had a significantly lower likelihood of initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth (AOR= 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36-0.99). Sexual P-IPV also showed an association with reduced likelihood of EIBF (AOR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.26–0.95, Model 2); however, this association was no longer statistically significant in the fully adjusted model (AOR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.28–1.04, Model 3). We found no evidence of association between P-IPV and EBF in Ethiopia.
Conclusions: Our study revealed that maternal exposure to any form of P-IPV (physical or sexual) was associated with reduced EIBF, but not with EBF, in Ethiopia. The findings highlight the need to routinely identify women who have experienced or are experiencing P-IPV and to provide targeted trauma-informed interventions that promote optimal breastfeeding practices.

Since its inception in 2006, Australia’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) has been an effective public health initiative, playing a key role in reducing bowel cancer incidence and mortality rates. Despite program success, public health gains have not been equitably distributed, with some priority populations experiencing persistent disparities in access, participation, and outcomes. One of these groups are people with disability. This exploratory study is the first to investigate barriers and facilitators to NBCSP participation from the perspective of people with lived experience of disability. This study employed a constructivist grounded theory approach, with conversational semi-structured online interviews to explore the experiences of people with disabilities engaging with the NBCSP. The research design incorporated a multi methods arts- based approach, including visual experience, storytelling and photo-elicitation to generate rich and empathic insights into how people with disability experience the broader screening process. 15 lived experience experts described how rigid program structures, inaccessible communication formats, and lack of tailored support mechanisms contributed to exclusion and disengagement. Thematic analysis revealed three superordinate themes discerned as: (1) program design underpinned by ableist assumptions, (2) unmet needs for personal assistance and support, and (3) pervasive mistrust in government and medical institutions. Findings highlight the limitations imposed on people with disability who experience discrimination and systemic neglect, fostering mistrust and further compounding access barriers. Recommendations to address ongoing inequities include embedding co-design principles that center disability perspectives, implementing reasonable adjustments across the screening pathway and enhancing access supports to facilitate equitable participation. These strategies have the potential to broaden the public health impact of the NBCSP by extending program success to people with disability. The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence advocating for inclusive, rights-based approaches to health program design and evaluation.

Background and Aims: Despite advances in cervical cancer prevention through HPV vaccination and self-collection screening options, participation remains disproportionatley low among culturally and linguistsically diverse (CALD) women in Australia. Despite national policy efforts, uptake remains low. This study aims to bridge the gap between policy and lived experience by synthesising evidence and capturing perspectives to understand why screening remains inaccessible - and how it can be transformed.

Methods: A narrative review of peer-reviewed and grey literature (2015-2024) was conducted to identify structural and cultural barriers affecting cervical screening participation in CALD populations. Key themes were mapped against the socio-ecological model. In parallel, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight multicutural health workers and cultural advisors across South Australia. Thematic analysis was used to identify reoccuring patterns, community insights, and practice-level solutions. Ethics approval was granted by the University of South Australia Human Research Ethics Committee.

Results: Literature consistently reported language barriers, lack of culturally safe information, and limited awareness of self-collection options. Interviewees deepened this with lived insight, describing mistrust, stigma, and fear, especially among women from refugee and faith-based communities. They proposed actionable strategies: co-designed messaging, partnerships with cultural leaders, and embedding screening education into women's community spaces. Importantly, the disconnect between national messaging and local realities was seen as a critical barrier to meaningful engagement.

Conclusions and Significance/Impact: This study reveals that closing the cervical screening gap for CALD women requires more than information - it demands cultural trust, community leadership, and policy grounded in real-world experience. By combining evidence with voice, it offers a roadmap for developing inclusive, community-led screening programs. The findings advance translational public health by demonstrating how innovation begins with listening - and leads to systems that truly work for all.

People with disability are less likely to participate in bowel and cervical screening and are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, leading to poorer survival rates. Preventing cancer among people with disability is an equity issue; many are missing out on the life-saving benefits of Australia’s free cancer screening programs. Disability organisations are well placed to promote cancer screening but often cannot prioritise this due to competing demands.

In 2024-25, Cancer Council Victoria (CCV) received funding from the Victorian Department of Health to deliver projects promoting cervical and bowel screening to people with disability. Funding was provided to four Victorian disability organisations. We adopted a collaborative and flexible approach, enabling organisations to consult and co-design plans with target audiences prior to implementation. CCV’s approach centered on building positive relationships and resourcing disability staff through providing tailored support.

Data collection was adaptable, with organisations choosing how to collect on key areas of change. We fostered shared learning and engagement through consistent support, capacity building sessions, a Community of Practice, and delivering a project showcase event to the broader disability sector.

CCV trained 74 staff from partner organisations and provided regular program support. Partner organisations then promoted screening widely and delivered peer-led education to people with disability. All partners planned to continue promoting cancer screening beyond the projects - some embedded it into health programs, others prioritising advocacy. All reported stronger internal capacity and the need for continued community engagement. Collaboration revealed gaps in accessible resources; CCV is working with partners to co-create materials as needed.

Effectively promoting public health messages to people with disability requires strong partnerships with trusted community organisations, and being guided by community needs and lived experience. Using flexible approaches and building sector capacity allows for sustainable ongoing collaboration.

Participation rates in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) for individuals with disabilities are unknown. Between 2020 and 2024, the participant details form accompanying the Immunochemical Faecal Occult Blood Test (iFOBT) kits collected self-reported special assistance requirements.
Through partnership with the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR), Queensland Health compared participation rates for re-screeners in 2022-2023, distinguishing between those with and without a self-reported history of disability. Re-screeners from the preceding screening round, with a disability had a participation rate of 75.6% (n = 5,998), 6.1% lower than no reported disability at 81.7% (n = 292,580). For lapsed re-screeners, the disparity was more pronounced with participation rates of 37.3% (n = 1,380) and 48.5% (n = 837,666) for disabled and non-disabled individuals respectively.
In November 2023, Queensland Health launched the Bowel Under-screened Messaging Project (BUMP), to reach individuals four-months overdue for screening via a personalised SMS reminder. A retrospective analysis on previous round screeners, assessed the impact of the message on 60-day kit return rates by prior disability status. Logistic regression showed that without the additional reminder, individuals with disabilities were half as likely to return their iFOBT kits compared to those without disabilities. The BUMP message increased kit return likelihood by 1.6-fold (95% CI: [1.53, 1.71]) for both groups, with an additional 1.5-fold (95% CI: [1.01, 2.23]) kit return improvement for individuals with disabilities.
These findings quantify significant participation disparities between individuals with and without self-reported disabilities in the NBCSP. Additionally, it indicates that personalised behavioural nudges were especially effective at improving NBCSP participation in this priority group. This low-cost data-driven strategy uses technology to enhance the reach and equitability of the NBCSP. These insights will inform future co-designed work to improve engagement and empower individuals requiring special assistance to participate in the NBCSP.

Abstract
Introduction:
Aboriginal women in Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) experience significantly poorer cancer outcomes, driven by lower screening participation, later diagnoses, and reduced survival. In 2023, only 39.7% of Aboriginal women aged 50–74 in SLHD participated in breast screening, compared with 51.9% of all NSW women. A 2021 Cancer Council NSW study reported cervical cancer rates among Aboriginal women are comparable to developing countries, underscoring urgent need for culturally safe, community-led strategies to improve access and engagement.

Aim:
To increase Aboriginal women’s participation in the BreastScreen NSW and National Cervical Screening Programs through culturally safe, place-based model grounded on Aboriginal leadership, trust, and collaboration.

Method:
SLHD’s Population Health, BreastScreen NSW and Cancer Services partnered with Aboriginal Health Workers and community organisations to co-design integrated screening events in Redfern alongside the BreastScreen NSW mobile van. Piloted in 2024 and repeated in 2025, the events combined breast and cervical screening with health consultations, education, incentives, and cultural activities such as weaving workshops and yarning spaces. Aboriginal Health Workers ensured cultural safety during all the planning and delivery, by leading community engagement on the day.

Results:
A total of 90 Aboriginal women completed breast screens across the two activations at Redfern Park in 2024 and 2025, notably 16 women were first time screeners. An additional ten CSTs were completed and 18 nurse consultations fulfilled on the two days it was integrated into the event. SLHD’s 2024 breast screening participation rate for Aboriginal women (46%) surpassed the NSW Aboriginal average (45.2%) and narrowed the gap with the overall rate (51.6%).


Conclusion:
This culturally safe, low-cost, and community-led model effectively improved screening participation and trust among Aboriginal women. Now embedded as an annual initiative, it demonstrates sustainability and transferability, providing a blueprint for extending culturally responsive, integrated cancer screening to other under-screened populations and settings

Aboriginal Governance structures:
A dedicated Aboriginal governance structure guided this initiative from conception to delivery. An Aboriginal Women’s Cancer Screening Working Group was established, comprising Aboriginal Health Workers from Sydney Local Health District and representatives from local Aboriginal organisations. This group led all key decisions regarding design, implementation, and evaluation to ensure the program reflected community priorities and cultural values.
Aboriginal members chaired the meetings and shaped every stage, from identifying locations and community partners to determining event flow, messaging, and patient navigation support. Their leadership ensured cultural safety, inclusiveness, and relevance. The project was grounded in existing relationships of trust and respect, with Aboriginal voices central to governance rather than consulted after the fact.
Engagement occurred through direct partnerships with Aboriginal organisations, and community feedback was essential to ensuring cultural safety.
Cultural protocols were embedded throughout planning and implementation, including Acknowledgement of Country, a Welcome to Country delivered by an Aunty on the day, involvement of Aboriginal staff in welcoming clients, and the use of Aboriginal artwork and language to create a culturally affirming environment. Evaluation findings were reviewed and endorsed by Aboriginal partners before dissemination to ensure cultural appropriateness and accurate representation.
This governance model ensured the program was not only culturally safe but genuinely community-led, strengthening Aboriginal women’s trust in health services and supporting genuine partnership across SLHD.