The project, led by the Dr. Silvina Arrossi (CEDES/CONICET) and her team, aims to develop a mobile application (app) to increase the population’s knowledge about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, reduce the psychosocial impact of HPV testing and increase retention in the care process.

HPV testing has become the main strategy to prevent cervical cancer. However, a positive HPV result can have a negative psychosocial impact. In addition, HPV information provided by health care providers is often insufficient, which can lead to difficulties in understanding HPV test results and steps in the care process.

Apps are increasingly used as tools to strengthen communication between healthcare professionals and the population. This app can be a low-cost, easy-to-use tool that can radically change the way the HPV testing population accesses evidence-based information.

This study is led by researchers from the Center for the Study of State and Society (CEDES) and the National Scientific and Technical Research Council. It is supported by the Argentine Society of Lower Genital Tract Pathology and Colposcopy (SAPTGIyC), the Argentine League for the Fight Against Cancer (LALCEC) and the Municipality of Ituzaingó. In addition, researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the University of New Mexico (United States), the Centro Javeriano de Oncología (Colombia), and Harvard University (United States) are also participating. 

The project is supported by the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health through an R21 grant for the development of mobile health solutions.