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In this blog series, we\u00a0celebrate the\u00a0winners and highly commended recipients\u00a0<\/i>of\u00a0the\u00a0Faculty\u2019s\u00a0\u2018<\/i>Outstanding Contribution to PPIE<\/i><\/a>\u2019 awards. These\u00a0awards\u00a0showcase\u00a0inspirational\u00a0efforts\u00a0and\u00a0exceptional\u00a0commitment to PPIE that have\u00a0made a positive difference to our community and highlight the amazing events, activities,\u00a0people\u00a0and groups from across the\u00a0Faculty.<\/i>\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Our latest blog in this series features\u00a0the\u00a0Alternative Cervical Screening (ACES) Diversity project,\u00a0which\u00a0was highly commended in the\u00a0Group category at the 2025 PPIE Awards. This project\u00a0explored barriers to\u00a0cervical screening among underrepresented communities\u00a0and sought innovative solutions to improve access and uptake.\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0<\/p>\n Launched in 2021, the\u00a0ACES Diversity Project\u00a0set out to explore\u00a0the\u00a0factors preventing certain groups from attending\u00a0cervical screening,\u00a0an\u00a0important procedure\u00a0for detecting cervical cancer, of which\u00a0nearly all cases\u00a0(99.8%)\u00a0are\u00a0caused by the\u00a0human papilloma\u00a0virus (HPV).\u00a0By investigating alternative cervical screening methods, such as self-sampling through vaginal swabs and urine tests, the ACES Diversity Project aimed to\u00a0reduce health inequalities and increase participation\u00a0among\u00a0ethnically diverse groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first\u00a0phase\u00a0of the project,\u00a0led by Dr\u00a0Jiexin\u00a0Cao and Dr Jennifer Davies, involved close collaboration with\u00a0two\u00a0community partners:\u00a0CanSurvive<\/a>\u00a0(supporting\u00a0African and Caribbean communities)\u00a0and\u00a0Women\u2019s Chai<\/a>\u00a0(supporting\u00a0South Asian communities).\u00a0Together, they\u00a0developed\u00a0a cross-sectional survey to assess and attitudes toward self-sampling procedures.\u00a0<\/p>\n The survey was translated into six languages and\u00a0disseminated\u00a0both online and in person at community centres.\u00a0Among the 430 responses that were collected, the majority\u00a0confirmed\u00a0that having the\u00a0option\u00a0of self-sampling would increase screening uptake in their communities and among ethnically\u00a0diverse\u00a0populations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The second part of the project was led by Dr Lorna\u00a0McWillliams\u00a0and Sophie Whitley. Seven in-person and one\u00a0online focus groups were conducted, involving 48 women from\u00a0diverse ethnic backgrounds.\u00a0Amidst conversations exploring perceived barriers to self-sampling, three major themes\u00a0emerged:\u00a0<\/p>\n Overall, responses were positive, and most participants found urine testing to be highly acceptable. However, they also emphasised the importance of choice in sampling and continued awareness campaigns.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The ACES Diversity Project led to longer-lasting trusted relationships between researchers and community groups. Some community members\u00a0even returned to join PPIE panels for\u00a0subsequent\u00a0projects, ACES\u00a0At Home and ACES Choice, which aimed to provide people at home with HPV-testing kits.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Additional\u00a0information:\u00a0<\/p>\n To find out more about PPIE: watch our\u202fshort film<\/a>, sign up to the monthly\u202fPublic Engagement Digest<\/a>, visit the\u202fPPIE blog<\/a>, or contact\u00a0srbmh@manchester.ac.uk<\/a>.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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