The CAREWAY project has published its first key report Gaps in Cancer Literacy: a cross country synthesis, providing an overview of existing cancer-related information, resources and initiatives and identifying common gaps that may limit people’s ability to access, understand and use reliable cancer information.
The report is based on a desk search conducted across the five CAREWAY countries – Finland, Poland, Portugal, Romania and the Netherlands. The analysis explored the cancer information currently available to different audiences and considered aspects such as accessibility, communication formats, information providers, audience adaptation, multilingual availability and guidance for professionals.
Six common gaps across countries
Despite differences between national contexts, the desk search identified six recurring gaps across the five countries:
- Lack of a coherent user journey across information pathways: Cancer-related information is often dispersed across different sources and platforms, making it difficult for people to navigate available information and understand where to look at different stages of their journey.
- Limited use of diverse, engaging and accessible communication formats: Information continues to rely heavily on traditional formats, while more diverse and accessible approaches could help reach people with different needs, preferences and levels of health literacy.
- Imbalance in the distribution of information providers: The availability and type of information provided vary considerably between different organisations and actors, potentially creating gaps in the information landscape.
- Limited targeting and audience adaptation of content: Cancer information is not always sufficiently tailored to the needs of specific population groups, considering factors such as age, background, health literacy or individual circumstances.
- Limited provision of authoritative guidance for professionals on communication about sexuality and intimacy: The desk search highlighted a lack of accessible and authoritative resources supporting professionals in addressing sensitive topics related to sexuality and intimacy in the context of cancer.
- Limited multilingual availability of cancer screening information: Information about cancer screening is not consistently available in multiple languages, which may create additional barriers for people who are not proficient in the main language of the country where they live.
Building the evidence base for the CAREWAY educational toolkit
Together, these findings show that improving cancer literacy is not simply a matter of providing more information. Cancer-related information also needs to be easy to find, understandable, trustworthy, accessible and adapted to the needs of different audiences.
The report provides an important evidence base for the next phases of CAREWAY. Its findings contribute to the co-creation and development of the educational toolkit designed to strengthen cancer literacy and support people in accessing and navigating reliable information throughout the cancer pathway.
Download the full report here: https://carewayproject.eu/resources/
