Digital Health Interventions for Cancer Screening in Sexual and Gender Diverse Populations: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Current research shows that participation in and adherence to cancer screening guidelines is lower in Sexual and Gender Diverse (SGD) subpopulations (also known as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Queer+) compared to the cisgender, heterosexual population. Digital technology-based interventions (e.g., mobile health apps, web-based, text messaging) have the potential to influence medically marginalized populations and increase engagement in health promotion behaviors. The goal of this paper was to conduct a scoping review on the impact and efficacy of digital interventions that address cancer screening in SGD populations. A scoping review protocol (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RMFDH) was designed and followed using PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus. Our search identified 127 citations with 52 identified as duplicates in Covidence, leaving 75 citations for screening. During the title/abstract review stage, two researchers independently removed 68 citations as not meeting the inclusion criteria, leaving seven (7) papers for full-text review. None of the studies met our inclusion criteria. Our findings show that despite known cancer-related health disparities in SGD populations, to date, there are no digital health interventions targeting cancer screening. This dearth indicates a gravely missed opportunity to reduce cancer health disparities in a medically marginalized and underserved population. We provide recommendations and health equity-focused conceptual frameworks to design and test digital interventions for promoting cancer screening in this medically underserved population.