My Wife’s Healthcare Is my Healthcare”: A Qualitative Study Exploring Family-Centered Strategies to Enhance Cervical Cancer Prevention in Northern Ghana

Abstract

Introduction:While largely preventable, cervical cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where gaps in screening uptake persist despite expanding prevention efforts. In many patriarchal settings, men play influential roles in household decision-making and access to healthcare, positioning them as critical but under-engaged stakeholders. There remains limited understanding of how educational strategies to improve health literacy can be designed to effectively engage men in supporting women’s screening participation.Methods:We conducted a qualitative study in northern Ghana to explore men’s understanding, priorities, and values related to cervical cancer prevention to inform male-focused educational strategies. Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Imple mentation Research and the Health Belief Model, 9 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with married adult men recruited from community settings, examining household roles, perceptions of cervical cancer and screening, and preferences for education and engagement approaches. Interviews were conducted in English or Dagbani, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically using a hybrid inductive and deductive approach.Results:Three cross-cutting themes emerged. Men viewed healthcare professionals as trusted sources of cervical cancer information and described their roles as primary financial decision-makers, with cost and competing household priorities influencing support for screening. Masculine responsibility, particularly related to fertility and family wellbeing, strongly motivated engagement, and messages framed around these themes were more compelling than disease-focused messaging alone. Participants recommended integrating education into routine health services, leveraging healthcare workers, offsetting screening-related costs, and using mass media to initiate awareness and information seeking. Conclusion: Men represent pivotal yet underutilized partners in cervical cancer prevention. Educational strategies that align with men’s roles, economic realities, and trusted sources of information and address household decision-making barriers may enhance screening uptake while supporting women-centered care. These findings provide implementation-relevant insights to inform male-engaged cervical cancer prevention strategies across diverse LMIC settings.