Experiences of a postpartum depression prevention programme in a circumpolar setting: insights from pregnant women and healthcare providers.

Cancer remains a significant public health challenge in South Africa (SA), where the incidence and mortality rates reflect the country’s unique socio-economic and healthcare landscape. South Africa faces a dual burden of disease, with high rates of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, including cancer. Socio-economic disparities, limited healthcare infrastructure and uneven access to education exacerbate the cancer burden, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Financial constraints, long travel distances to facilities, uneven availability of screening services and shortages in diagnostic and treatment services further delay early detection and care. These challenges contribute to late-stage cancer diagnoses, which are associated with poorer prognoses and higher mortality rates. Programmes that provide structured, culturally tailored cancer education have demonstrated improvements in knowledge, screening uptake and health-seeking behaviour in several low- and middle-income settings, particularly in relation to cervical and breast cancer prevention. Similarly, comprehensive education and support interventions have been associated with increased screening rates, earlier detection, improved adherence to treatment protocols and strengthened community support for patients and their families affected by cancer. These initiatives underscore the importance of community-based cancer education initiatives in equipping populations with the knowledge and resources needed to prevent, detect and manage cancer, thereby contributing to improved outcomes and reduced cancer burden in SA. The Georgia Cancer Center’s Cancer–Community Awareness Access Research & Education (c-CARE) programme was developed as a community-based cancer education intervention to improve prevention and early detection among medically underserved populations in the United States. Implemented across several counties in Georgia, with Augusta as a primary site, c-CARE partnered with African American healthcare providers, faith-based organisations and community health workers (CHWs) to deliver structured, cancer-specific education tailored to community needs. The programme combined facilitator guidance, participant materials, practical screening information and community engagement strategies to improve cancer awareness and encourage screening uptake. Evaluations reported meaningful improvements in cancer knowledge and screening uptake, underscoring the value of culturally responsive, community-driven education and supporting c-CARE’s selection as a suitable evidence-based programme for contextual adaptation. Although leveraging established, evidence-based programmes can enhance efficiency and increase the likelihood of successful implementation, direct transfer to the South African context would not be sufficient. South Africa’s socio-economic inequalities, linguistic diversity and pluralistic health-seeking practices, including the prominent role of traditional health practitioners (THPs), faith-based leaders (FBLs) and CHWs as first points of care in many communities, necessitate deliberate cultural and contextual adaptation to ensure the programme’s relevance, acceptability and educational effectiveness. Furthermore, SA’s 11 official languages linguistically present potential barriers to communication and understanding health information.