Barriers and Opportunities for HPV Self-Sampling in Underserved Rural Communities: Insights from a Mixed Methods Study

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural areas with limited access to screening. This study explored factors influencing rural Kenyan women’s willingness to self-collect samples for HPV-DNA testing. Data were drawn from a mixed methods study in two Kenyan rural counties, including surveys with 174 women and interviews with 21 participants. The mean age of the survey sample was 45.2 (SD = 13.2) years. Only 6.4% had ever been screened, yet 76.9% expressed willingness to self-collect samples for testing. Increased willingness was associated with cervical cancer awareness (OR = 3.49, 95% CI = 1.50–8.11), relying on health workers as primary sources of health information (OR = 1.88, CI = 1.23–2.86), or the news media (OR = 2.63, CI = 1.27–5.48). High cervical cancer stigma (OR = 0.71, CI = 0.57–0.88) and longer travel times of 30–120 min to a health facility (OR = 0.44, CI = 0.20–0.93) were linked to reduced willingness. Integration of the findings showed that comprehensive health promotion—through education, health worker endorsement, and mass media campaigns—may improve HPV self-sampling uptake and reduce the cervical cancer burden in rural Kenya.