Bradford community unites to boost cancer screening

More than 1,000 people across Bradford have taken part in a pioneering research study aimed at increasing the number of South Asian Muslim women screened for cancer.

The Muslim Families Screening 4 Life study, led by the University of Bradford and funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, sought to open conversations about cancer screening within families.

The study was designed with cultural insight and experience from both men and women from the South Asian Muslim community, and delivered in partnership with Faith in Communities, Bradford Institute for Health Research, Sharing Voices Bradford, and the British Islamic Medical Association.

Over three years, 58 workshops were held in mosques, sports centres, and community venues across the Bradford District, reaching more than 1,000 men.

These sessions helped build understanding of breast, cervical, and bowel cancer screening, and encouraged families to talk more openly about health.

Bradford District and Craven has the lowest proportion of people up to date with screening in Yorkshire. Just 67% of people are up to date with screening in Bradford, compared to 78% in East Riding of Yorkshire and the regional average of 72%. In total, there are 104,000 overdue screenings in Bradford District and Craven.

Dr Aliya Darr, Research Fellow at the University of Bradford, said: “Through running workshops with a wide range of South Asian Muslim men, knowledge about the different types of screening procedures for cancer increased. 

“The workshops were considered to be very informative, and having attended, men reported they were able to speak to their wives about the importance of cancer screening.”

Screening helps find cancer at the earliest possible opportunity, when more treatment options are available and the likelihood of survival is higher. Cervical and bowel cancer screening can also prevent cancer by treating abnormal changes before they can turn into cancer.

As well as encouraging conversations about screening, the study’s approach has opened doors to new ways of thinking about how health messages are shared within communities.

Dr Darr said: "What surprised me was that many men were more than happy to talk to us about the reasons why they found the task of speaking to women about cancer screening difficult and were full of ideas and suggestions as to how we could engage with women directly to increase cancer screening.”

Dr Mel Cooper, Reader in Maternity and Migrant Health at the University of Bradford and one of the researchers leading Muslim Families Screening 4 Life added: “This project has seen grassroots level organisations working together with the same purpose.

“We hope the word has spread through the communities and more women have taken up screenings after this project and we have helped to save lives.”

Zahid Khan, Community Development Worker at Sharing Voices Bradford, who helped deliver the workshops, said: “The men were receptive. They came up to us after the sessions and said the project was important and they were glad that we’re talking about cancer screenings for women.”

The findings will now be used to shape future research aimed at increasing participation in screening among women.

Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research at Yorkshire Cancer Research said: “The Muslim Families Screening 4 Life project has been instrumental in gathering valuable insight about participation in screening, directly from the Muslim community in Bradford.

“It’s vital we now use these learnings to find new ways to enable all women to benefit from these life-saving tests. In addition, the Government must fund and quickly introduce innovations in screening to help reduce health inequalities so more people in Yorkshire live longer healthier lives, free of cancer.”